Accidents Analysed
by butterfly.cell
Summary: It's been a decade since Jack met Ianto, but there's still something not quite right. How will he react though? Next installment in the 'One Accidental Step Further' series, following the Christmas fic. Implied Mpreg. Jack/Ianto, OCs
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Accidents Analysed (1/21)  
**Rating**: PG-13 to 15  
**Characters/Pairings**: Jack/Ianto; Team; ? (appearing later); OCs - Griffin, Niamh and Bryn.  
**Spoilers**: Everything shown in DW and TW to be safe  
**Warnings**: fluff; mild angst; smut in later chapters

**Summary**: _It's been a decade since Jack met Ianto, but there's still something not quite right. How will he react though? _

**Disclaimer**: The boys don't belong to me, RTD and BBC own them - but I own all the relatives!

**Chapter 6 contains semi-graphic 'smut' but it's not gratuitous or sex for the sake of it - it's all part of the 'emotional' story! That is the only chapter that is M rated, so the overall rating of the fic is staying as PG-13 to 15 (advanced warning here - if you'd like to read the story but don't want any graphic scenes, just message me and I'll write an editted version of that chapter for you via message)

Enjoy!

* * *

**Accidents Analysed **

CHAPTER 1

As soon as the cog door had rolled open, Griffin ran through. It was Friday, which meant he got to spend the afternoon with Auntie Tosh, helping her with her computer.

He carefully put down his backpack and climbed up onto the seat that the Japanese woman reserved for the seven year old. She smiled down at him and Griffin was instantly lost in conversation about computers that, somehow, he understood to a certain degree.

Trailing behind him was Jack, looking partly disgruntled, but mostly just resigned. It seemed to him that being an active parent was sometimes almost enough stress and pain to make becoming a parent not worth it. Of course, it was only a rare, stray thought – yet he'd been having it more and more often over the past few months.

Right now though, he was debating the merits of slipping a low dosage of tranquilliser into Niamh's juice to calm her down. Ever since she'd started school several months beforehand, she'd not only revealed herself to be cunning, but very good at playing those around her.

Jack still insisted that she hadn't inherited either trait from him. Ianto, of course, insisted otherwise - and when there was a disagreement, Ianto was almost always right. Jack had learnt that a very long time ago.

He sighed heavily and wondered just when it had been that he'd become this domesticated. _Since you got pregnant, idiot_, a voice said with more than a hint of mockery. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the voice. It had been a pretty useless question to ask after all.

Deep inside, Jack had found himself harbouring an uneasy feeling. It didn't change the fact that he loved his children and Ianto, but he couldn't help but feel lost, restless even. There was no other way to explain it. _I guess this is what a mid life crisis is then…_ he frowned slightly. Would he only live another hundred or so years then?

No, this was just Jack being Jack-like.

"Daddy, I want Tad." Niamh declared, wiggling in Jack's arms. He just held tight to stop her from falling.

"He's working, sweetheart, but I'm sure he'll be around as soon as he's done." Jack almost yawned - and that wasn't normal. Niamh frowned at him and pushed herself away deliberately. Jack let her go and she stumbled towards Gwen at her station, the woman instantly greeting her and scooping the little girl onto her lap.

Jack stretched a little and went into his office, giving in to the urge to be alone. It had been plaguing him all day, but for some reason or other, he'd not had a chance to indulge it yet. He closed his office door gently and sat back at his desk, closing his eyes and concentrating on the rhythm of his breathing.

He could hear the beat of his heart deep inside and the warm rush of blood pumping through his veins. With a sigh, he concentrated on working out the tension from his muscles, relieving the aches that had built over the past day.

It had started when he woke up that morning, Ianto already gone from the bed and in the kitchen with both children. Jack had no idea why, but after so many years with the young man, waking up alone made the uneasiness set into his bones.

Ianto had noticed the difference the moment Jack had walked into the kitchen. Without saying a word, he'd made him a cup of coffee and continued feeding Niamh her breakfast. Similarly, Griffin had noticed and had kept himself from showing Jack the drawing he'd done – for whilst Ianto had to keep his attention on the little girl, he'd developed the habit of drawing to occupy himself.

Jack glanced towards the back of his office, where it lead round and down to the archives. The door to the room the team – mainly Gwen and Tosh – had set up for the children stood open. He slowly stood up and walked towards it, flicking the light on as he stepped inside.

For the past few years, as Ianto had had to return to work and the kids had needed to be in the Hub more and more often, the old storeroom was discovered and converted, the door moved to the current wall for easier access.

Now, the brick was plastered and painted yellow, covered in drawings by the two Harkness-Jones children. There was a low bed for them to nap on and a sofa, as well as a few toys and books scattered around the place.

Jack snagged the edge of one of Griffin's jumpers from where it hung dangerously from the low book shelf and headed across the room. As he folded the garment, he sat on the sofa and looked over the pictures.

Niamh's were surprisingly intelligible for a four year old. She conveyed everything from weevils to dinosaurs, to fairytales, to Godzilla trampling Cardiff. Jack silently wondered just what went on in his daughter's head. Godzilla at four? Maybe not.

Griffin's showed a few of the same, but mainly Myfanwy in various different places and the people he'd grown up around. There were many of Tosh and Gwen, several of Owen and a lot more of Ianto, Jack and Niamh – even some of Bryn and her husband, Marcus. Jack smiled briefly before noticing a crumpled up piece of paper in the corner, hurriedly stuffed behind the bookshelf.

He crouched down and pulled it free, smoothing it out and staring at it in concern.

The A3 sheet clearly showed a bright blue box, with a flashing lamp on the top of it. Stars were scattered on the background, and Jack stood next to it, another man standing on the other side of it, wearing a suit and a long brown coat. Jack's heart pulled guiltily and he briefly wondered how Griffin had found the images and who had ripped the picture from the wall.

"Daddy?" A small voice came from the doorway and Jack looked up in surprise. Niamh was holding onto the door and peering in nervously. Jack quickly folded the picture up and slipped it into his pocket before holding a hand out for Niamh to take.

She walked over and he pulled her onto his lap. She cuddled closer to him and looked up with her big blue eyes, staring at Jack imploringly. Jack sighed and held her closer, hoping it would do something to ease the dull haze across his vision.  
It really wasn't his day today.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Jack balanced Niamh on his hip as he walked through the Hub, deciding where the best place to look for Ianto was. The Tourist Office had been empty fifteen minutes earlier, so he didn't check up there.

The archives were too tiring to check first, so he went to the board room. As he approached, he was only mildly surprised to find music drifting out. When he opened the door, he was slightly more surprised to find Ianto reclining in a seat with his feet propped on the desk, arms behind his head and eyes closed. There was a gentle smile on his face as he listened to Bob Dylan.

"This is why Daddy controls the stereo at home and in the car." Jack informed the little girl with a grin. She smiled back and turned to wave at Ianto, who was now sitting up and watching them with a raised eyebrow and a poorly hidden smile.

"This is also why Daddy won't be having any for a while." Ianto replied, the little girl laughing at the look of mock horror on Jack's face. Ianto snorted gently and got to his feet, heading over to them and brushing Niamh's hair back gently, placing a kiss on her forehead. "How was school, sweetheart?"

"They learned how to count to ten." She said with a roll of her eyes. "_I_ can already go to two lots of ten and another five."

"That's my girl." Ianto said with a grin. He caught Jack's eyes and the smile subdued a little. He leaned forwards and kissed Jack slowly, much to their daughter's approval. "I'm going to go do the coffee rounds. What would the maths genius like?"

"Coffee!" She shrieked happily. Ianto raised an eyebrow and shook his head. She sobered a little and made a second guess. "Apple juice?"

"I'll see what I can do." He finished with a wink. Together, they headed back through the Hub, Ianto splitting off to head to the kitchen area, Niamh promptly moving off to pester Griffin. Jack decided to follow Ianto, to maybe make up for the day of relative silence.

He slipped his arms around Ianto from behind and rested his chin on the younger man's shoulders. He felt Ianto hum and lean back into his arms. Jack, taking advantage of the exposed neck, bent to kiss it gently, sending a shiver through his lover. Caressing the skin below Ianto's ear was like flicking a switch – guaranteed to get a reaction.

"You feeling any better yet?" Ianto asked gently, a hand reaching up and around to stroke the back of Jack's neck gently.

"Yeah… kind of… I don't know, not really." Jack sighed heavily and buried his face in the crook of Ianto's neck. "I found something in the play room…"

Ianto pulled his hand away and turned in Jack's grip to face him, tilting Jack's face up to look at him. Ianto studied his face with an intense look, but Jack was feeling too weary to protest much.

Eventually, Jack pulled out the folded up picture from his pocket and handed it over. Ianto took it with some caution and unfolded it to reveal the TARDIS, people and the multi coloured stars. He moved from Jack's arms and went to smooth the paper across the surface behind him. His fingers ran over some of the deep crinkles in the paper and rested on the edges.

"I found it screwed up in the corner… ripped off the wall." Jack said quietly. Ianto smiled and glanced over his shoulder.

"You know I don't mind about the Doctor. You didn't think I did this, did you?" Ianto frowned a little then and turned to look at him properly. Jack had the good grace to look ashamed.

"I didn't completely ignore the possibility." Jack managed to choke out, his expression one of chagrin. "But still, I didn't know that Griff knew that much about him."

"I tell him about the two of you." Ianto replied carefully, turning back to the picture and tracing the lines of the TARDIS, painstakingly coloured in blue crayon. "Bedtime stories, you know. 'The Doctor and Dad save Cardiff' or 'The Doctor and Dad save the World from the Insane and Sadistic Master'. He likes them. You're his hero, Jack, just as you should be."

Jack stayed silent as he saw the look of admiration and love in Ianto's eyes. It was the same look he'd seen after the birth of both their children and numerous times in between. He'd seen it when he'd first kissed him after his return to Cardiff from the Master. He'd seen it when Ianto had woken up from a blood loss induced coma. God, that had been scary - a weevil claw to the jugular and he'd almost lost him.

"You are too." Jack said weakly. Ianto just shook his head.

"I'm his Tad, it's different." Ianto folded the picture up again and passed it back. "You're his Dad and he'll always love you for that, but you're also a super hero to him – you're the real life Spiderman."

Ianto grinned and turned back to the coffee machine as Jack chuckled in earnest at that. Griffin had grown up obsessed with superheroes of all kinds. At the forefront of them all was Spiderman – and it was incredibly rare for anything to hold a light to him in the little boy's mind.

Jack just wrapped his arms around his lover again, turning him and pulling him close, capturing his lips as Ianto's hands moved up his back, running his tongue along Jack's lip and making the older man growl in frustration. He so badly just wanted to rip Ianto's clothes off right there, but his common sense and concern for Ianto's pride stopped him.

As ever, they'd have to wait until both children were down for the night. Jack, determined to make Ianto remember the moment, slid his hands down the younger man's stomach, fingertips ghosting over his sides and hips, resting in place just long enough for Ianto to moan gently.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he pulled away and winked, heading back to the workstations before he could be laden with the tray of drinks.

Ianto closed his eyes for a moment before sighing deeply and finishing off the drinks order. He shook his head slightly and concentrated on calming his slightly raised heartbeat. If that was how Jack was going to play it, he would as well. Carefully, he started pouring the drinks, concentrating hard.

Finally, he piled everything onto the tray and carried the mugs and glasses down to the rest of the team. Everyone swooped down on him – or up on him, in the case of Griffin and Niamh – to collect their drinks, Jack being the last so that he could drop a kiss on his cheek whilst his fingers brushed against his lover's as the mug was handed over.

Ianto was just about to sit back with his own drink when an alert flashed on Tosh's monitor. Everyone turned, but lo and behold, it was only a power problem down in the archives. That meant that it was Ianto's job to fix it. Everyone's eyes turned to him expectantly and he glared down at his coffee, his jaw taught as he gritted his teeth. With a sigh, he nodded and headed down to the power room.

Jack watched him go with a look of regret, but his attention was caught up as Griffin cuddled up on the sofa with him, his glass of milk clutched carefully with both hands. As Niamh bounced onto the other side of Jack, the sofa dipped alarmingly and the milk almost spilled from the glass. Griffin steadied it with a glare at his sister and Niamh just returned the look with wide, apologetic eyes.

_So much for conversations,_ Jack thought wryly.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

'"Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."' Jack read out loud, even putting on the accent of the Hogwarts Groundskeeper as he spoke. His eyes flicked over to the clock on his son's beside table and he sighed.

"Dad, keep going." Griffin urged, twisting in Jack's arms to look at him imploringly.

"Tad'll not be impressed if you have another late night tonight." Jack said half heartedly. Truth was, he still liked the first Harry Potter book and he was pleased that his son was finally old enough to understand the story.

"To the end of the chapter?" He asked in a small voice. Jack glanced at the clock once more, turned back to the little boy and nodded.

Ianto approached the door from the landing and heard the murmur of voices. He smiled slightly and thought better of interrupting the two. He knew that Jack needed something like this to lift his mood a little.

Deciding to leave the two alone for a while longer, Ianto moved back downstairs and rummaged through the DVD collection, pulling out a James Bond film and sticking it on the television.

As usual, he settled back on the sofa with a cup of coffee and when he next looked up, an hour had passed without interruption. That, of course, meant that 'to the end of the chapter' had become 'to the end of the next chapter' and would predictably become 'the next one too?' accompanied by puppy dog eyes and a hopeful smile.

He gave Daniel Craig, frozen on screen in a well made tux with a martini in his hand, a wistful look before turning the film off and venturing upstairs once more.

"… and there was this one time, right back when I was first travelling with him when we landed right here in Cardiff, to refuel." Jack's voice floated through the door and Ianto stopped to listen again.

"Like a pit stop?" Griffin piped up.

"Yeah, just like that." Jack laughed gently. "Only, we found out that the mayor of the city was this nasty, slimy alien called a Slitheen. No one noticed because-"

Ianto stepped through the door then to stop Jack from getting to the more creepy elements of the story. He'd heard it several times and the thought of an alien wearing someone's skin made him feel vaguely nauseous.

"What happened to 'to the end of the chapter', Griffin?" He asked coolly, interrupting Jack with a look and raising an eyebrow at the little boy. He grimaced and looked from parent to parent.

Before he could do anything to protest, Jack had climbed out from under the covers and tucked them back around him. Ianto crossed the room to say goodnight and waited for Jack to leave the room before he spoke again.

"Why did you rip down your picture of the Doctor and the TARDIS?" Ianto asked quietly, watching with a slight smile as Griffin squirmed further under the covers. He pulled the covers up to his nose and mumbled, staring back at Ianto with pained eyes. "Sorry, didn't quite catch that."

"I said, 'it wasn't good enough'." Griffin sighed with a pout and a half glare. "I didn't want dad seeing it."

"He found it earlier." Ianto managed to say whilst suppressing a laugh at the groan of embarrassment. "It serves you right for not using a bin, then, doesn't it?"

"I wanted to ask Auntie Bryn to help, but she's not allowed to know about the Doctor, is she?" Griffin asked sadly, pulling the covers down a little. Ianto shook his head slightly and ruffled Griff's hair gently.

"Sorry, but the Doctor stays between us… But you don't need Bryn's help, your picture was very good." Ianto tried to keep his attention, but Griffin was already rolling his eyes and burrowing back down under his duvet. Ianto sighed and kissed the top of his head gently before getting up and crossing the room.

He flicked the light off and took a moment to look up at the glow-in-the-dark planets and stars before leaving.

"Night, tad." Griffin mumbled from the dark. Ianto smiled.

"Night, kid. See you tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Ianto knew, the moment he woke up the next morning, that the following day would be very hard and very, very trying.

The first sign was that he woke to his face pressed against something soft and smelling like apples. Jack very rarely smelt like apples. He cracked an eye open and glanced down to find Niamh cuddled tightly against him, her head tucked under his chin. Her hair was flung across the pillow next to him, wafting the scent of her shampoo towards him.

That, at least, explained the smell.

The memory arose of himself and Jack waking several hours earlier to the sounds of Niamh's muffled sobs, snapping them quickly from sleep to find out what was wrong.

Jack had gotten there first, finding the little girl curled up and crying in misery, hugging her panda to her as tightly as possible. It had taken almost ten minutes to calm her enough for her to tell them that she had an earache.

Ianto watched as Jack gently turned her face away from him, so he could see the ear she said hurt and they both stilled in shock at the sore, reddened skin in vague scratch marks down the side of her face and neck from trying to stop the unreachable hurt. Ianto could only watch as Jack wrapped his arms tightly around her and rocked her gently, his jaw gritted to stop himself from crying.

Without a word, Jack had passed her to Ianto and Niamh automatically wrapped her arms around his neck, Ianto holding her tightly. Jack looked up at Ianto with a tortured expression and the younger man just nodded, carrying Niamh through to his room to settle down with a dose of Calpol for a couple more hours of sleep.

As far as he could remember, Jack hadn't returned.

With a sigh, he eased himself out of his daughter's death grip and headed through to the bathroom to shower and dress for the day. Before he even got to the other side of the room, his mobile started to buzz loudly from the chest of drawers and he flung himself across the room to answer it.

"Hello?" He whispered, a little hoarse from sleep.

_"Yan? It's me."_ Bryn's voice was soft and slightly sad.

"Hey, kid, what's up?" He leaned back against the wall and frowned a little at his sister's rough and less-than-exuberant tone.

_"I can't come over to look after them today… I'm so sorry to leave you in the lurch like this!"_ She sounded close to tears.

"Shh, it's okay, don't worry. Is everything alright?" He tensed and felt his frown deepen.

_"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, I've just been down with the flu all week and I still feel crap."_ She sighed heavily and her voice grew a little quieter.

"Oh, Bryn, I'm sorry to hear that… is that all though?" He knew his sister well enough to know when she was just ill. This wasn't it.

_"Marcus is away at a conference for two weeks in Spain. I guess I just miss him."_ She sounded more than a little embarrassed at the admittance, but Ianto couldn't help but smile.

"Would you like me to stop by later?" He managed to keep the patronising lilt from his voice.

_"Yes, please, Yan."_ Grateful was an understatement.

"Okay, I'll be round this afternoon." She mumbled a 'thank you' and Ianto heard a poorly smothered yawn. "Get some sleep, kid. See you later."

With a sympathetic grimace to his mobile, he placed it back on the wood and headed off to work through his morning routine – desperately trying to ignore the odd sensation he'd woken with.

*

Jack was practically curled up in a ball in his bunker. He hadn't slept in there for almost two years and it was a particularly odd sensation to be doing it without Ianto there to keep him warm.

He sighed heavily and attempted to straighten himself out, to get up and have a shower and get ready for work. Somehow, he couldn't force himself to move. He just lay there and wondered why everything had gone downhill so dramatically.

He growled and screwed the heels of his hands hard into his eyes, to rub away the dreary, maudlin thoughts. Maybe it was just the shock of seeing the scratches and Niamh's tear streaked face. Or maybe it was the sudden rush of nostalgia for travelling the stars brought on by Griffin's picture.

He forced himself to roll off his bed and the sharp shock of his shoulder colliding painfully with the concrete was enough to clear his mind of the majority of the darkness.

So, grumbling and rubbing his right shoulder, he trudged across the room to the ladder and climbed out of the bunker. He was tempted to have a second shower, but without Ianto, second showers were little more than incredibly dull.

He sighed and moved through the hub to the archives.

Over the past couple of weeks, he'd been going through the lower levels, rifling through and checking up on the older and occasionally more dangerous artefacts that they'd collected over the years. Of course, they weren't bad enough to merit storage in the secure archives, but Jack still hated the idea of Ianto cataloguing them.

He spent an hour going through a box of nondescript, plain metal boxes of various shapes before sighing in frustration and heading back up to the hub. He needed a coffee and he needed Ianto. Preferably both.

At the thought of seeing his lover again, a small smile crept across his face and he pushed the box away from him slightly before getting up and trudging back up to the hub, hands in pockets and a noticeable difference in his disposition.

As he walked, his mobile buzzed in his pocket and he quickly pulled it out, glancing at the glowing screen now telling him he had a message. He frowned slightly as he opened it.

**Bryn's ill, they'll have to spend the day at the Hub. **

**I'll be in asap. I xx**

Jack sighed and felt his mood deflate in an instant. He quickly typed back a message and sent it, flicking the phone closed and putting it back in his pocket as he emerged from the tunnels.

He glanced up to find Gwen sitting at her workstation, curled up and eating a pastry in front of her computer monitor, cradling a cup of tea to her chest. She looked over and smiled sheepishly when she saw him, brushing some stray crumbs from her knees.

"Morning, Jack." She said brightly, determined to ignore Jack's glum expression.

"What're you doing in so early?" He asked with a slight frown. She shrugged and looked back at the screen. "When I told you not to let it drift, I didn't mean marry the guy and never see him. It Saturday morning, what's up?"

"Rhys is at a mate's stag do 'til Monday." She admitted, looking down at her desk. "The flat doesn't feel right without him. One night alone was more than enough, thank you very much. The novelty wore off the moment I woke up."

Jack hugged her gently and rested his chin on her head for a moment. He knew how she felt, but even more so, he knew he'd left Ianto alone in bed to wake up and deal with the kids. He felt more than a little ashamed of himself.

With another sigh – for that was all he seemed to do at the moment – he let Gwen go, gave her a small smile and headed back into his office.

Less than half an hour passed before he realised the siren had gone off, signalling the arrival of Tosh and Owen – arguing loudly about whether Arsenal or Chelsea were the better football team. Jack rolled his eyes and delved back into his work. He wanted to get enough finished that he'd be able to spend some real time with Griffin and Niamh.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

"Come on, baby, please!" Ianto was almost in tears at the struggle the morning had proved to be. Niamh sat and stared at him, a look of complete misery on her face. "Sweetheart, this'll make you feel better, I promise."

He was proffering a spoon of pale pink syrup in her direction, but her jaw stayed clamped shut as she pressed a hand furiously against her ear. Griffin sat next to her on the sofa and stroked her arm gently, looking between Ianto and his sister in dismay. He'd kept to himself most of the morning.

With a sudden spark of resolve, he reached forwards and snatched the medicine spoon from Ianto, shoving it in his mouth and swallowing the Calpol in one smooth motion. Niamh twisted to look at him in horror, but he simply opened his mouth and showed her that it was all gone.

"Okay." She whispered gently, turning back to Ianto and opening her mouth. Ianto honestly could've cried.

In less than five minutes, all three were in the car and heading out of the driveway, toward the Hub. Ianto kept his eyes on the road and absently listened to Griffin reading Niamh a story about dragons as the little girl sucked her thumb and cuddled her panda closer.

Fortunately, the drive lasted in the same peaceful feeling, washing through them all and relaxing Ianto to the point of being able to completely function again. When he pulled up, he was no longer on the brink of curling up in bed and hiding from his life.

Almost as soon as the door closed, Griffin jumped out with his back pack and raced towards the door marked 'Private' and stretched onto his tiptoes to punch in the code.

Ianto watched him and smiled when he threw a grin over his shoulder and raced away down the corridor. He turned his attention back to Niamh and unbuckled her, scooping her up as arms came around his neck tightly. He walked towards the door and mimicked Griffin's actions, heading down the corridor as he heard the concrete close behind him.

"Is daddy angry at me?" Niamh asked quietly, breaking the soft sound of footsteps. Ianto stopped and twisted his head around to look at his daughter. With one of his hands, he tilted her face up to look at him.

"What makes you think that?" He murmured with a slight frown. She shrugged and tried to look away from him. He kept her face still and continued to stare down at her, just like he did to Jack when he clammed up.

"Well, he didn't come with us after I woke up. Did I kick him out?" Her eyes were beginning to fill with tears and Ianto ducked her head under his chin, laughing slightly as she sniffed furiously.

"Of course not, sweetheart, he just had to get to work early, that's all." Ianto felt her nod and he carried on walking until they emerged into the hub.

He looked up to see Griffin sitting at Tosh's desk, as usual, and Gwen looked up with a smile, waving as Niamh looked up. The little girl relaxed and demanded to be put down. With raised eyebrows, Ianto simply did what he was told, and no sooner had her feet hit the floor than she ran to Gwen as fast as possible.

As soon as she was wrapped in Gwen's arms, her panda safely nestled in as well, she brightened and began talking animatedly to the woman. Ianto rolled his eyes again and veered off to the side, letting himself in through the door at the back of Jack's office quietly.

He walked slowly towards Jack's desk, the captain hunched over and scribbling furiously on whatever was in front of him. Ianto allowed himself a smile and closed the gap between them, reaching forwards to run his hands over Jack's back, his fingers moving over the familiar shape of his spine.

Jack felt a shiver run along him and sighed, dropping his pen instantly and sitting back, the hands caressing him moving over his shoulders and around his neck. The arms tightened and a weight came down to rest on the top of his head.

"Morning." Came the voice, as much felt as heard. Jack smiled and reached up to rest his hands on Ianto's forearms.

"Thank God…" Jack murmured, a sudden feeling of peace taking him. He twisted in Ianto's arms and reached up to pull him closer, kissing him firmly and reassuringly - comfort, pleasure and apology all wrapped up into one touch.

"Miss me then?" Ianto asked with a wry smile, moving round to rest back on the desk as Jack turned back around.

"Yup." He replied shortly, looking up and surprising Ianto with the intensity of his gaze. "I'm so sorry about this morning…"

"I must say, I'm not surprised that you reacted like that." Ianto sighed and looked down at his feet. "I would've liked it if you'd stayed long enough to remember that Bryn refuses to let their nail hygiene get out of control, or to notice that the redness had gone down a few hours later. There was nothing to see when we woke up."

Jack stayed quiet for a while, ignoring the intense blue eyes that he could feel on him. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Ianto watched him for a long moment, contemplating silently.

"Two things." Ianto began, holding his finger up to stop Jack from interrupting. "First off, you go out there and spend some time with Niamh, she thinks you hate her. Second, you let me spend the afternoon with Bryn."

"I'll spend as much time as I can with her, I swear, but I don't know if we can handle today without you here." Jack looked dubiously up as Ianto's face darkened a little.

"Let me rephrase that, Jack," He said slowly, hands gripping the desk as he spoke, "I'm going over to Bryn's this afternoon and spending at least a couple of hours with her."

"Ianto, think about this logistically." Jack knew he was making himself endlessly unpopular with his lover, but he couldn't stop himself. "The kids are here, we'll be a team member down, there'll be no coffee and _I_ need you, Ianto. _I_ need you to be here."

Ianto didn't say anything, just continued to watch him. There was a long moment of silence as Jack mentally berated himself for spilling his words out like that. Slowly, Ianto leaned forwards and took his face in both hands, pressing a kiss against his forehead. He pulled back and stared into Jack's eyes.

"I'm doing this whether you give me permission or not." He said gently, his eyes softened and gentle again. "She's ill and alone and I've already missed enough opportunities to be there when she needs me. I'm not missing this one as well. Please, Jack, I don't want to come home to an argument."

Jack sighed heavily and ran his hands along Ianto's arms, his fingers slowly curling around the younger man's wrists. Eventually, he nodded and managed a small smile, accompanied by a heavy sigh.

"She didn't ask for this, Jack, if that's any help." Ianto said gently, almost sadly. Jack caught the look of pain and self loathing and instantly hardened his resolve. He pulled Ianto back into a hot, searing kiss for a long, heart stopping moment before pulling back with another sigh.

"I better go out and make amends, I think." Jack said lightly, a mock grimace on his face as Ianto pushed himself up and headed out of the room, Jack following after a moment.


	6. Chapter 6: M Rated

**WARNING**: This chapter contains mature material and is therefore an **M rating**. Should anyone not want to read it, please contact me and I will reply with a PG-13 version of the chapter.

I would like to say now that 'the act' is not in anyway gratuitous but part of the emotional storyline for the boys. Thanks!

* * *

CHAPTER 6

Niamh sat happily on the sofa, tucked up in Griffin's fleece that he'd given her before they'd left, with her panda and a mug of warm milk.

Auntie Gwen had left her for a moment to go grab some things and finish some work, but she'd promised to do some colouring with her later on. With a sigh, she took a sip of her drink and nuzzled down into the soft collar of her borrowed top.

Her ear didn't ache anymore, but it had begun to tingle a bit, itching a little in a place she couldn't reach. When she tried, it hurt… a lot. The itch was better than the hurt, she decided.

She glanced over at Griffin happily watching Auntie Tosh work on her numbers and wondered whether she could slip away from the others to find the white room again. Tad had got really angry with Uncle Owen last time, when she'd held his scissors whilst he did some cutting out. She couldn't understand why.

She looked up at some movement and found her Tad walking towards her, out of Daddy's office. He didn't look too upset, so maybe Daddy was in a good mood? She retreated even further into her jumper and waited silently to see whether the other man would emerge from the dimly lit room.

No sooner had she thought that when Jack appeared in the doorway, heading straight for her. Tad had already veered off towards the kitchen area. Niamh waited with apprehension as her dad moved closer.

As ever, he was tall and imposing, but he wasn't scary. When he took her mug off her, she didn't complain, she wasn't worried. His arms were as safe and warm as ever when he stooped to collect her up into them. His hands held her close and he cuddled her against his chest and she sighed lightly, wiggling to get comfortable, panda nestled safely between them.

Jack pressed a kiss to the top of her head and tucked her head under his chin, sitting down carefully with her on his lap, arms already locked around his neck. He began to hum gently and she sighed again, eyes closing as her arms fell a little looser – though never relinquishing their prize.

He took a surreptitious look at Niamh's cheek and was intensely relieved to see that there really was no sign of the scratches from the night before. Jack glanced over to Ianto standing by the coffee machine and smiled, the younger man nodding in return and turning back to his task.

*

Ianto had handed out drinks to everyone and disappeared off to finish his part of the archive updating that Jack wanted to carry out.

Jack had returned to his office to finish the last couple of pieces of paperwork, then moved to the playroom at the back, sitting on the sofa with Niamh to read her a book. That lasted for a little over an hour before she remembered Gwen's promise to help her do some drawing.

As if nothing had ever happened that day, she simply pushed herself up, placed a loud, exaggerated kiss on Jack's cheek and ran from the room, out into the Hub. Jack watched her go with a smile and stretched out a little.

He glanced at his watch and, with a start, headed down to the archives, hoping to catch Ianto before he left to see Bryn. He walked quickly and felt the knot of tension in his chest release when he noticed Ianto usual work room was lit up and occupied. He headed through the slightly open door and made his way across to the filing cabinet Ianto stood by.

Without a word, he took the files from Ianto's hand, placed them on the top of the cabinet and pulled Ianto into a tight, needing embrace, lips meeting in a passionate mess as Ianto's hands ran up Jack's back to tangle in his lover's hair. Jack moved his hands under the fitted suit jacket and across the silk covered skin and slightly tense muscles.

Lips parted and tongues clashed as both men gave into the need that hadn't faded at all since the first night they'd spent together. It was still as potent and intoxicating as ever and hands moved to pulled shirts from waistbands and place skin on skin.

Jack slid his palms across Ianto's stomach and his fingers moved down, into his trousers to tease and stroke him gently. The younger man moaned gently against his lover's lips before the sound evolved, twisted and grew into a low growl of lust. It took over his body as he pushed Jack back against the wall, pressing their bodies tightly together.

Jack gasped, involuntarily releasing Ianto's lips, as he felt a rush on pleasure from where Ianto pressed their hips together. Ianto just dipped his head to place his lips on Jack's neck, kissing and sucking at the skin gently, making Jack's eyes close slightly, eyes rolling upwards as he tried to keep himself under control.

"Let go, Jack, you know you want to." Came the husky whisper in his ear, the welsh accent low and tempting. He could feel hands gracefully unbuttoning his shirt, pushing apart material slowly and slipping both shirt and suspenders from his shoulders.

Jack shivered and felt himself move to take control, twisting them so it was Ianto pressed against the cool brick, the dark purple shirt and darker tie lying on the floor before the younger man could protest, hands and fingers tracing skin and muscles in well known patterns.

They slid down again, this time unbuttoning and pulling down Ianto's trousers and boxers, freeing his erection and eliciting a short noise of protest before he leaned forwards and ran his tongue across the hot, smooth length.

With a sudden, practiced move, he swallowed Ianto as far as he could, the younger man's knees going weak and losing their resolve a little. He placed his hands gently on his lover's hips and supported him as he slowly began to suck and caress his with his tongue. Ianto's hands moved to tangle in his hair again, urging him on.

He could hear Ianto moaning gently, absently, and he knew his lover's head was tilted back, his eyes closed and his lips parted in the way that Jack saw when he closed his eyes. The thought made him push harder, work faster and bring Ianto to the edge sooner than the young man would've wanted.

He hummed gently as he sucked particularly skilfully and Ianto's breath hitched in that tell-tale way, letting out a low growl of pleasure before he moaned his lover's name and came hard in Jack's mouth.

Jack felt the younger man sink a little further down the wall and smiled, releasing him and moving upwards again. He pulled his lover's clothes back into place and did his trousers up, moving his hands up to cup Ianto's face and kiss him hard. It took a couple of slow, sleepy moments before he responded, but when he was fully conscious again, Ianto's tongue delved and fought against Jack's, tasting himself on the captain and feeling himself stir again.

"Haven't you got an ill little sister to take care of?" Jack asked casually, murmuring against Ianto's lips. Ianto froze and groaned lightly. With a low growl, he pushed Jack away and took a deep breath.

"We _will_ continue this later." He said with a menacing look in his eyes and a tone that clearly told Jack not to object. The older man just smirked and bent down to pick Ianto's shirt up from where it lay next to them.

He gently eased it back onto Ianto's arms and pulled it up. He bent forwards and placed a gentle kiss against the top of the silvery scars that ran from Ianto's neck down his left side and pulled the shirt closed, buttoning it with ease as Ianto pulled him forwards for another intense kiss.

The whole act, from when Jack had entered the room, was as addictive and perfect as it had been all those years ago, before they'd been tangled into the web of growing up that little bit more with the conception and birth of Griffin. The thought made Jack smile and the remaining weight on his shoulders lifted as he pulled back and smiled at Ianto.

The younger man began to tuck in his shirt, Jack pulling at his own and making himself presentable once more. Ianto bent to retrieve his tie and quickly knotted it into place. He turned and kissed Jack once more, letting their lips linger before pulling away and heading back to the filing cabinet.

"Go, I'll finish this up for you." Jack said gently, his hand settling over Ianto's, halting it before it picked up the files. Ianto looked up questioningly, but Jack nudged him towards the door. "Go! I'll see you later… a text at some point wouldn't go amiss, though."

Ianto grinned and let their hands linger together for a moment longer before grabbing his suit jacket and leaving the room. He'd have to stop and say goodbye to the offspring, but other than that, he was done for the day.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

It took Jack a good half hour to finish the last ten minutes of Ianto's work, but he was eventually heading down to the lower archives once more, returning to his own task of re-cataloguing.

He opened up the comms and made sure people knew to call him if he was needed and settled back, working his way through the rest of the box currently on the table and moving through another two before he looked at his watch again.

Two hours had passed and he'd barely noticed. With a small smile, he got up to collect the next box in need of his attention. He placed it on the table and pulled the lid off, looking inside with a slight frown.

Not only had it been much lighter than expected, but the label had gone missing from the front of it, easily having slipped out of the broken placement for the index card. He glanced inside at the solitary device before looking around briefly to see a rectangle of cream card lying on the floor.

He shrugged and decided to look for it later. Right now though, the strange, unremarkable object was itching for his attention – which he promptly gave it. He reached in and pulled it from its place, turning it round to find any defining features to the rectangular block the size of his palm.

He didn't notice the low, soft humming noise for several seconds, and when he did, he didn't realise what it was. Only when it began to grow in pitch and volume did he begin to realise something bad was about to happen.

Something very bad indeed.

He looked back down at the item in confusion and noticed small glyphs appearing on each of the long, thin sides of block, pulsing a gentle, red light outwards. As the sound became higher, the pulsing got faster – everything indicating a feeling of great urgency.

Less than a minute after it started, the pitch was so high that Jack had trouble concentrating on anything other than the noise itself, losing most of his awareness of his surroundings.

For that reason, when the noise came to a sudden stop, he had no time to brace himself against the wave of raw power that pulsed with a deep _thud_ from the object, forcing him to stagger backwards until he hit the wall.

He groaned and rubbed his head where it had smacked off the brick and glanced down at the device once more, now sitting silently with it's throbbing red-

Wait. Not red, _mauve_.

Shit.

He promptly turned and scrabbled through the various boxes and shelves until he found the label that belonged with the box.

'_Niarbenese Beacon – Signal changes depending on the actions perceived by the device_'.

Shit.

He raced out of the room with the device and tag and didn't stop until he reached the main Hub, out of breath and white faced from the implications of sending a Mauve Alert out into space. The beacon would call anyone who read it down to Earth.

Anyone could pick it up.

Shit.

He didn't hear Tosh's concern and alarm and he didn't hear Gwen's torrent of questions. He just concentrated on looking up the item in the database on the Torchwood network. The discovery that it was old technology leant a slight relief, as most races would ignore it, but that was soon overpowered by the memory of a certain alien and the circumstances under which they'd met.

Fan-bloody-tastic.

Jack put the device down on the desk he'd ended his run at and sunk down into the chair. He buried his face in his hands and took several deep, calming breaths. He was slightly aware that it was Gwen's desk he'd collapsed at, but right now, that was the least of his problems.

"Jack?" Someone was shaking his shoulder, he lifted his head slightly and glanced around at the owner of the hand. Gwen was standing with Niamh on her hip, Owen was looking out from the autopsy bay and Tosh had her hand gently on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"I need you to set up extra CCTV and sensors in a hundred metre radius from here. I need to know the _second_ anything shows up on them, understood?" He said slowly, every year of his heavily extended life showing in his eyes as he turned to look at the woman behind him.

Griffin peered across the room and saw the look on Jack's face. He got up hurriedly and rushed across to Jack. The captain scooped him up protectively and held him close, the little boy not protesting. It was a sign that everyone else recognised. Something serious must've happened for Griffin to allow himself to be treated like a toddler.

"Gwen, don't let Niamh out of your sight. Owen, I want you on alert." Jack stood up slowly and hoisted Griffin into his arms, holding him close. "We need Ianto back here. Now."

Everyone nodded slowly and Jack pickled up the device gingerly. He carried both the object and Griffin through to his office and put the little boy down in the visitor's chair and the block on his desk.

"How much do you think your Tad's going to kill me for this?" He asked the little boy with a grimace. Griffin just smirked at him and shrugged, settling back into his chair as Jack picked up his mobile and dialled.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

Ianto carried the coffees up to Bryn's bedroom and settled on top of the covers, his sister huddled beneath them as she watched the DVD playing on the screen. He handed the mug over and turned his attention back to 'Bridget Jones' Diary'.

When he'd first arrived, Ianto had spent half an hour convincing his sister to go back to bed where he could at least look after her. He'd come in to find her baking and cleaning the house almost obsessively.

After a further twenty minutes of finishing the work for her, he'd joined her upstairs to find her dozing gently under the thick, slate coloured duvet, curled up and facing the empty side of the double bed. He smiled gently and went back downstairs to do some more efficient cleaning of the kitchen and living room.

About an hour later, he heard stirrings from above him and moved upstairs, finding Bryn sitting up with the remote control in her hand, the TV and DVD player flashing to life.

"How're you doing then, kid?" Ianto asked gently, Bryn turning her face to look at him.

"I'm okay, just feeling crap." She shrugged, sipped her drink and turned her attention back to the film.

"How crap is 'crap'?" He asked again, not taking her half hearted answers for anything.

"Just… I don't know, just ill and tired really. The flu's going away now, so at least I can eat and drink without spewing it up again." She sighed and cuddled the warm mug closer to her. "But being in bed alone is too weird. I don't like it, Yan."

"I know." He pulled her into a hug and settled back against the headboard, Bryn wriggling backwards into him a little. "At least, if it doesn't get any better – having to spend the night away from him – you know you're in it for the long run. Trust me, almost a decade later, and I still hate waking up alone."

Bryn chuckled gently, sipping her drink again.

"He's been calling me at least twice a day since he went, but I don't think it's enough for either of us." Bryn tried to sound casual, but Ianto just smiled, knowing what she was saying.

"You've been married for a year and together for almost four, what do you expect?" Ianto nudged her and she turned to glare at him half heartedly as she managed to stop her drink from spilling.

"Okay, okay. I believe you, oh-wise-one." She did a short bout of mock praising and returned to cuddling close against him, her attention back on the film.

Ianto concentrated on it as well, drinking his coffee and relaxing his mind from the constant, nagging worry that plagued the back of his mind every time he was away from Griffin and Niamh. It didn't help that they were in the Hub. Anything could happen in the Hub.

Less than fifteen minutes later, he realised why that worry never left him.

His mobile started to ring, Bryn reaching out to her bedside table to scoop it up and answer it.

"Hi, Jack." She turned to look at Ianto and promptly handed her mug to him, gesturing for him to take them downstairs. Ianto sighed and rolled his eyes, heaving himself up and out of the room. "What can we help you with?"

_"I need Ianto to come back to work."_ Jack's voice sounded tense across the line.

"No can do, you gave him the afternoon off." Bryn replied casually, sitting back.

_"I know, but something serious has come up."_ The tension seemed to step up a notch.

"How serious?" Bryn tensed herself, frowning slightly. She knew whatever job they did could be dangerous – and she also knew that her niece and nephew were there for the day.

_"Serious enough that I need Ianto back here to keep the kids safe."_ Jack replied wearily.

"Has something happened? Are they okay?" She felt her voice rise slightly in concern, her throat tightening a little.

_"They're fine, Bryn, trust me. They're fine for the moment, but right now, I need Ianto back here to help me handle the situation. Please, Bryn, I'm begging you, send him back."_ Now the captain was sounding desperate and it made Bryn take pity on him.

"Of course I will… but you owe me Jack Harkness, you owe me an afternoon with my brother." Her voice softened from the harsh tone she'd adopted on answering the call, but she didn't let the warning fall hollow.

_"I promise you, as soon as this has blown over, you can have the entire day with him."_ The relief seemed to travel to her with his voice.

"I'll hold you to that." She replied with a smile. A gentle silence grew between them and when Jack answered his voice was much more relaxed and gentler.

_"How are you, kid? Ianto told me you weren't well."_

"Oh, I'm okay. I'm still getting over the flu a bit, but Marcus is away for a couple of weeks and I'm sick of waking up alone…" She'd recognised her brother's words and took the chance to nudge the meaning behind them across the offending party.

_"I'm sorry to hear it, I really am."_ He sounded guilty, that was a good sign. He also sounded honest. All the times she thought she'd be able to find a fault in her brother's partner had fallen flat in the mud. Jack Harkness was one of the best people Ianto had ever met and it was obvious. They fitted together like pieces in a puzzle and it made her smile.

"Thanks, Jack. Look, he's coming back upstairs now. He'll be back there in twenty minutes, tops."

_"Thank you."_ True relief and appreciation – it was something she wasn't expecting.

"Later, Jack." She said brightly, hanging up the call as she heard footsteps reach the top of the stairs. As if on cue, Ianto appeared in the room again. He took one look at his sister and his face took an altogether more dangerous expression.

"What is it?" He asked with a sigh, resigning himself to something that was almost definitely going to cause him a great deal of stress.


	9. Chapter 9

I'll try to be more regular from here on out! I think I'll be posting a chapter every other day :)

* * *

CHAPTER 9

A little under ten minutes later – once Ianto was fully satisfied that Bryn would be okay on her own – he climbed into his car and slipped his comms device into his ear, opening a channel to the Hub.

"Talk to me, Jack. What's going on?" He asked harshly, starting up the engine and pulling away from the cosy terraced house.

"Ianto, I'm so sorry-"

"Save it for later – you'll need it." He snapped. There was a silence from the other end and he sighed. "Sorry, Jack. Go on, what's happened?"

_"I was down in the archives, cataloguing, and I picked up the next item. As soon as I picked it up, it was building up a signal, firing out the pulse less than ten seconds later."_ Jack sounded more than a little annoyed and Ianto decided to let go of the sarcastic remark on his tongue.

"What exactly will this signal be saying?"

_"It's a 'mauve alert' beacon from a pretty primitive race – far too outdated for most species out there to pick up on."_

"Mauve alert? I thought it was red."

_"That's just us. To the rest of the universe, red's just camp."_

"Right, that's nice to know…" He paused for a moment, giving Jack's remarks time to catch up. "Hang on, what do you mean, 'most species'?"

_"That's the thing. There's a handful that will be able to detect it, though almost all of those don't have the capabilities to come here to find it or just won't want to."_ Ianto could tell that there was still more for Jack to say, that he was holding back a very key piece of information.

"Okay. I'll be there in about ten."

_"Mr. Jones, are you speeding? It normally takes twenty from Bryn's."_

"When you get the message that your kids could be in danger and that your idiotic partner is the one who's put them there, that's when you break a few speed limits."

He cut the comms and forced himself to relax his grip on the steering wheel. He'd been gripping so tightly that he was very aware of the blood flowing back into his whitened knuckles. He felt a soft flowing and ebbing of his anger and irritation, tempered with guilt that he'd snapped at Jack. It wasn't his fault, not really – the device would've set off no matter who had picked it up.

Jack was the most vigilant of all of them when it came to handling artefacts and space junk in the archives. Out of all of them, he was the one who knew the dangers the most, for he'd experienced them first hand. Ianto hated it when something happened in the bowels of the hub, when all he heard was static from Jack's comms.

The waiting for the gasp of breath was the worst. It was so bad that after he'd heard it once, he vowed to be there if it happened again. To date, he'd heard that terrifying static forty seven times. Forty six of those times, he'd been down there and holding Jack before he woke up.

He sighed and decided to count himself lucky that whatever the device was hadn't killed Jack in the process. The thought of him waking up alone still gave him the shivers.

He was near to the Plass now, and seeing what time of day it was, he knew he wasn't going to be able to slip in the car park and through the secret door easily. Instead, he pulled up in a side street and decided to walk round to the Tourist Office.

It was as he was crossing the road onto the smooth paving of the Plass itself that he saw it, with a feeling of great trepidation.

Well, at first, he heard it more than saw it. He knew all about that strange grating siren and the flashing light that appeared before the owner. He watched, transfixed – for he'd never seen it in person before, only in videos and sound clips in the Torchwood Tower archives – as the bright blue, wooden box appeared a little over twenty metres from him.

As soon as the sound died away, he realised with a surge of annoyance – mixed with a hint of fear – why the Doctor would deign to be in Cardiff, at that particular time, in this particular place.

Shit.

He formulated a plan in the blink of an eye and walked briskly up to the door, rapping hard and curtly on the wood. He stepped back slightly and waited.

"Hello?" The door opened and a man, a few years older than Ianto, stuck his head out, his dishevelled brown hair flickering gently in the breeze.

"Doctor?" Ianto asked with a smile and his best professionally polite voice.

"The one and only. And you are?"

"Jones, Ianto Jones. Captain Harkness sent me to collect you." The man beamed and held his hand out – which Ianto shook reluctantly, though didn't let it show.

"Jack?"

"Yes, sir."

"No, I came here for a mau… Oh, right. I should've guessed. Okay. Jack it is then!"

He ducked back inside his ship, flicked a couple of switches and bounded back towards the door, swinging on a long brown coat as he left. He locked the ship behind him, shoved his hands in his pockets and bade Ianto to lead the way.


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

They made polite conversation about the local scenery, Ianto hearing another version of the Slitheen story and politely laughing and putting in small comments where he knew they belonged.

In a couple of minutes, he was letting them into the Tourist Office, opening the hidden door and leading the Time Lord through to the elevator. Once the door slid shut and the metal box began to move, Ianto glanced over at the Doctor.

He was staring around with a mixture of apprehension and excitement and Ianto couldn't help but find it strangely endearing.

"I must say, I've wanted to see Jack's Torchwood for a long time." He said brightly, looking over and meeting Ianto's eyes with a smile. The Welshman just nodded his head and looked forwards.

"I can assure you, this is as different from London as you can get." For the first time since knocking on the TARDIS door, the Doctor knew the man was being completely sincere.

"That's very good to know. You're one of the survivors, aren't you?" The Doctor's incandescence seemed to have dimmed and Ianto looked over at him, a little alarmed. "I saw the list of you, but I've only just remembered. How many Ianto Joneses are out there who're connected to Torchwood anyway?"

"Well, there was an 'Ian Jones' in one of the departments. It was hell on admin." Ianto smiled at the vague memories of arguments with desk clerks and the Doctor grinned.

He was about to say something else when the lift hit the bottom and the door slid open. Ianto smiled, nodded and lead the way, using his swipe card to open the huge cog door at the end of the short corridor.

He heard the siren wail die down and the cage on the other side open up as he walked through. The Doctor followed, his hands stuffed in his pockets once more, and let out a low whistle, nodding his head with an impressed expression.

"You're right, Jones, this is _much_ different to London." He muttered so that only Ianto could hear him.

Ianto smiled and headed up the stairs to the workstations. Tosh leaned around the side of her computer and stared at the Doctor in a mixture of shock and barely contained excitement.

"Jack?" Ianto called, knowing that he was probably in his office, hiding. He would no doubt have detected the TARDIS' presence the moment it began to materialise. "I found your visitor for you."

Jack appeared in the doorway to his office, looking out apprehensively as he met Ianto eyes, fully prepared for a barrage of cold, calculated anger. He was extremely heartened to find Ianto more or less relaxed, raising his eyebrows slightly and giving him a small nod of encouragement.

Jack sighed and watched as he turned to head to the coffee machine, his gaze flicking from his lover to his visitor as Ianto crossed behind him. As soon as he set eyes on the Doctor, he couldn't help but grin.

"Doctor, it's good to see you again!" He took a few steps from his office to stand amongst the workstations.

Despite Ianto's reassuring gestures, Jack knew he'd crossed a line somewhere and would need to make up for it. For the moment though, he pushed the worries to the back of his mind.

"Same to you, Jack." He replied with a grin, heading up the stairs to where Jack stood. The Captain pulled him into a hug and he laughed in surprise, returning it happily.

"It's been too long." Jack said gently as he released him. The Doctor was just about to reply when something tore across the hub towards the two of them.

"Daddy!" was all he could register before he found a little girl clutching at Jack's legs, indicating strongly that she wanted to be picked up. Without hesitation, Jack wrapped her in his arms and held her protectively, glancing across at a boy of around seven sitting with the Japanese woman.

It was then that the Doctor noticed the slight change in his demeanour that the new entrance had brought.

"I'll say. Seems that you've been productive, for once." The Doctor raised an eyebrow and smiled mischievously.

"Hey, I wasn't _that_ bad."

"Yes, you were." Came a new voice – a woman's. Jack looked around incredulously at Gwen as she headed over to her workstation.

"I wasn't that bad! Owen, tell them."

"No way am I defending your sexploits, Harkness." Came a third new arrival. The man walked from the white room behind them and flicked a pair of latex gloves off into the bin. He raised an eyebrow and sat down at his desk to start typing.

"Whatever happened to respecting your elders?" Jack sighed with a roll of his eyes that was much more characteristic to Ianto than himself.

"Careful, I'm still the oldest in this room." The Doctor said with a smirk. Jack couldn't help but smile at the comment. It was nice not to be the all knowing one for a change. He'd forgotten what that even felt like. "Hang on, can I smell coffee?"

"Yep." Jones, Ianto Jones was back, this time carrying a tray of coffees and two glasses of juice which he handed around to everyone. "I know you prefer tea though, Doctor. It's the yellow mug."

The Doctor gave him a genuine grin of appreciation and took the indicated mug, wondering briefly how he'd know his preference of drinks already. Jack told him to hang onto the blue and white one still there and the glass of apple juice, Ianto just nodding and heading back to sit on the sofa. He took his own mug and sat back, legs crossed and watching Jack and the Doctor with a pointed expression.

The little boy headed over with his glass of orange juice, to the sofa and took the seat next to the Welshman.

"This is very good, Jones, thanks – possibly even better than Jack's." The Doctor smiled again and turned to the captain, who rolled his eyes as Ianto smirked gently at the comment. "So, who's the lucky lady that finally managed to domesticate you?"

He glanced over at Gwen, having remembered a couple of stories about her on the way to the silo at the end of the universe - and the entire team, apart from Ianto and Jack, froze. The tension in the air was suddenly thick enough to be cut with a knife.

The only movement was Jack glancing over to the Welshman, his expression suddenly darkened, worried even. Jones just sat there, blowing gently on his coffee with an eyebrow raised slightly in amusement.

The Doctor's mind observed, calculated and concluded in a nanosecond.

He saw the look between the two men, felt the shock in the air and the expression in Jack's eyes. His memory flickered through all places where the name 'Ianto Jones' had occurred and was hit with a wall of Jack's stories and tales, of his dreams after the Master's death and the thoughts of the young man that had kept him sane during his torture.

He remembered the difference in the captain's countenance on the journey home, like something had solidified and resolved within him.

He looked at the two children and saw the obvious resemblance to Jack. He looked closer and saw that they were equally similar to the man sitting on the sofa. The set of their eyes, their facial expressions, the young boy's reserved observation of the scene, and the little girl's protective hold of Jack.

The final realisation was like a battering ram to him, his sensation of time disorientated and wavering for a moment.

But then he turned and stared at Jack with the fire of a burning supernova.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

"Please don't tell me you carried these children." He said quietly, watching Jack's face harden from apprehension into a cool resolve. He cocked an eyebrow and the Doctor almost clenched his fists. "Of all people, you should know what happens when timelines are toyed with."

"I'm well aware of it, but timelines are only changed if someone finds me and takes me apart. They won't be doing that anytime soon – and this would be the least of their discoveries if they did." Jack replied in the voice that everyone recognised as 'don't mess with me'.

The Doctor stared at him and gritted his jaw, unsure of what to do. He felt so terribly confused, for he could now look at Jack without flinching internally, unlike the last time they met. The captain's place in the universe was clear and had solidified over the past few years. He now had a purpose and was once again engrained back into the universe. Surely that meant this was all supposed to happen.

But the larger part of his mind could barely look at him and not feel the incredible weight of disappointment.

Jack sensed what was going on in the Time Lord's head and promptly moved to the sofa to hand Niamh – very reluctantly – to Ianto, where she sat and glared at the Doctor. Jack ignored her and turned to the Time Lord, walking back towards him, but making sure to keep himself between the Doctor and his family.

"You can yell at me all you want – threaten me, kill me even – but not in front of them. Do anything you want, but don't do it in front of my team and my partner and my children." Jack's expression was resigned and world weary and defeated and he spoke so quietly that only the Doctor heard. The man was silent for a long time, watching the captain with a mix of emotions that Jack couldn't even begin to guess at.

In the way that was so characteristic to him, the Doctor's expression and demeanour snapped to what Jack had dubbed the 'mad scientist'. The captain stiffened even more. This version of the Doctor was no better than the angry, age old protector of time.

"Jack, this is genius! Who'd have known that the process works with a twenty first century human!" the Doctor grinned and looked at Jack with excitement. "I mean this is huge, you were only one of the prototypes, right? But it's working a century and a half later. Oooooh, if only they could use these results in their trial! I've got to do some tests, run some scans-"

"No." Jack said shortly, his face deadly. "For once in my life, I've found somewhere that I belong. I've made a life for myself that I'm proud of and I will _not_ let you turn my family into your next science project."

"But-" The Doctor gestured to the sofa once more, but Jack snapped completely.

"No!" Jack almost yelled, stabbing his finger into the Doctor's chest, their faces no more than an inch apart. "If you even touch them with the intent to treat them like lab rats then I will personally make sure the TARDIS leaves you stranded on an outer galaxy moon for the next three decades."

Jack didn't notice the complete silence in the room. He didn't notice that everyone was staring, that Owen's jaw had dropped, that the Doctor actually seemed at a loss for words and that Ianto had that smile on his face he got when he was suppressing a grin.

All he could think of was keeping the Doctor from reducing his life to a series of scans and chemical names that wouldn't keep him warm or make him happy.

The silence burned through them as Jack glared at the Doctor, jaw clenched. The Time lord just observed him with a guarded expression for several long moments. Not once did Jack's resolve waver.

For what felt like the first time in his relationship with the Doctor, the other broke the silence.

"I'm so proud of you, Jack." The Doctor said warmly, pulling the Captain into another hug and placing a comical kiss on the top of his very confused head with a loud 'mwah!'. He straightened Jack up again and held him at arms' length, appraising him like a proud father. "I think we missed the introductions."

Jack frowned at him for a long moment before sighing and shaking his head in disbelief, rubbing his eyes with one hand as he pointed with the other.

"Toshiko Sato, my computer genius," Tosh waved from her computer, "Owen Harper, likes to cut up dead things," Owen nodded curtly in greeting, having felt as tense about Niamh being near the Doctor as Jack – the strange paternal feeling he had for her was still, annoyingly, there and Ianto still teased him about it.

"That's one's Gwen Cooper-"

"Tell me, Ms. Cooper, are you from an old Cardiff family?" The Doctor asked, a mysterious grin splitting his face in two again.

"Urm, yes, all the way back to the eighteen-hundreds." Gwen replied, frowning a little, glancing at Jack to see if he knew what was going on. He didn't.

"Thought so, spatial genetic multiplicity… funny old world!" He beamed and Gwen felt herself blush a little at the sudden concentration of his attention. It was a bizarre thing. He looked at her like he'd met her before, like he was _proud_ of her, god forbid. "Sorry, you were saying?"

"You've obviously met Jones, Ianto Jones," Ianto nodded, like Owen had, and the Doctor nodded respectfully in return, his eyes warm and much older than his face, "And finally, the offspring. Niamh and Griffin – though I wouldn't get too close, Niamh looks about ready to bite."

"What kind of house do you run, captain?" the Doctor said in mock horror.

"Well…" He glanced over at Ianto with a smug smile and a raised eyebrow and Ianto just rolled his eyes.

"Stop it." The Doctor intoned in his best warning voice – though Jack cocked an eyebrow in reply. His heart really wasn't in it. The Doctor just shrugged. "You should know better, especially in front of those two."

"Trust me, they don't care. I think _they_ think it's sweet, though I don't know why…" Owen chimed in, muttering darkly to himself.

"_I_ think, after a decade, I'm allowed to say the odd suggestive comment!" Jack replied, for once knowing he was right.

"The _odd_ suggestive comment?" Ianto said dryly, raising an eyebrow in scepticism as he kept a tight hold of the little girl currently trying to battle her way back to her dad.

The Doctor chuckled gently after a moment, as if at his own personal joke. Jack just shoved his head to one side and headed over to collect Niamh again. She promptly wrapped her arms around his neck and turned to glare at the Doctor.

"Sir?" The Doctor felt a tug on his elbow and looked down to find Griffin peering up at him with inquisitive, intelligent eyes – the colour of Jack's and Ianto's blended together. "Sir, did you bring your TARDIS?"

"Yep, she's up on the Plass outside." The Doctor smiled and Griffin grinned, looking around wildly at Ianto who replied with his best 'impressed' expression. Seeming content with the stranger now, Griff gave the Doctor another smile and headed back to Tosh's work station. "One down, one to go."

"Yeah, but the one left is the hardest one." Jack said with a pointed look at the little girl – her eyes the exact matches to her brother's – staring at him with a dark disapproval.

"Ah well, I'll just have to work hard at it." He said with a shrug, following as Jack led them through to his office. "Anyway, what can I do to help with this beacon?"

"Turn it off?" Jack pointed at the device on his desk. The Doctor sat down in the chair and peered at the block, slotting his glasses into place and squinting.

"I was thinking more along the lines of 'take it off you'" He looked up, lips pressed together, uneasily.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

"No can do, Doc. You're not here to take away everything in our archives." Jack shook his head firmly.

"Jack, you've got stuff in here that should be out in the universe – stuff that should be used and cared for and explored." The Doctor almost threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Most of the things we have in here are weaponry of some form or the other." Jack pointed out, the Doctor grimacing as he thought the same thing as the captain. "And we aren't going to just hand it back to be used. The more that's in here the better."

"But what about when you leave this place in a decade or in a century? What happens to it all then?" He challenged, still vaguely queasy about the fact that he was inside one of the Torchwood institutions.

"It'll be in the hands of someone I trust to take over from me." Jack replied with conviction.

"Fine, fine. But If I find out you've got something in here that's beyond dangerous, I'm not going to be impressed." He took a long drink of his tea – for he'd somehow kept a hold of it in the whirlwind of his discovery – and sighed. "This really is good tea."

"It's not the only thing he does well." Jack said with a grin, to which Niamh tugged hard on his hair. "Ow!"

"Don't talk about Tad like that to _him_." She said moodily, pointing stubbornly at the Doctor.

"Sweetheart, I was only joking." Jack said gently, peering down at her.

"Not allowed to." She said in a huff, forcing herself away from him until he put her down. She gripped her panda closer and skirted around the Doctor, not turning her back until she could flee to Ianto and Griffin.

"Have I done anything in particular to upset her?"

"No, I don't think so. Maybe she's just heard too many stories about me travelling with you." He said with a shrug and a wistful look in his eyes as he watched Niamh run into Ianto's arms and mutter something darkly to him, his lover flicking his eyes up with raised eyebrows. "Ianto tells them to Griffin sometimes. You're his new favourite super hero."

"Really?" There's was a genuine surprise in the Time Lord's voice.

"Yup." Jack tore his eyes away from Ianto's and shot the Doctor a grin.

"Who did I kick off top spot?" The Doctor asked almost instantly, sitting back in the chair.

"Spiderman."

"Wow." He looked highly impressed as he drained his mug.

"I know." Jack chuckled gently, the Doctor joining in.

It died away a few seconds later, the atmosphere stilling. Apparently, the Doctor had some ambience around him that could do it – the TARDIS had always been the most calm place Jack had known until he'd moved in with Ianto. Where peace was once the image of his room on the TARDIS, it was now their comfortably sized bedroom with the extra large double bed.

"I really am proud of you, Jack." The Doctor said gently. Jack looked at him and saw the expression and the age that had made him give his life a hundred times and more to defend him. "What you did out there - standing up to me, protecting them… It got a whole lot clearer to see your place in time when you did that. I think you're finally living your life."

"What do you mean?" Jack frowned slightly and took the seat across the desk. The Doctor leaned forwards and steepled his fingers, regarding Jack over the top of them.

"I ran away because you scared me. For all my life, I could trust and rely on time being set and fixed and unchangeable. But then you came along and it was like a foot stamping on a mirror." The Doctor gestured whilst he spoke. "The cracks and damage in my mind's eye scattered to the edges of my vision and it was so hard to even think about the centre of the devastation.

"But what's changed?"

"I think, it began to heal in that year on the Valiant, the cracks coming back in a bit. Then when you decided to come back here, to stay with your team, it got clearer still. This place gave you a degree of purpose in your life – gave you the chance to live, not just exist." The Doctor smiled sadly, as if in apology. Jack felt himself grow slightly uncomfortable under the gaze that was fixed on him. "Now, you've got young Mr. Jones and those kids out there and you've been living for them, enjoying your time… But something changed, something just happened – like you made a decision that changed the course of your life."

"What's new there?"

"I'm not joking, Jack. However subconsciously you did it, you just settled almost completely back into time. You're still a fixed point, that'll never change, but the ripples out from you are manageable."

"You know what they say about old age."

"You were never totally sure if you'd stay, were you?" the Doctor watched him curiously, refusing to let him change the subject. "Just then, defending them, that wasn't a conscious decision, that was instinct. You answered your own question. But my question is why you hadn't made your decision yet."

"They were accidents." Jack said bluntly. "Carrying Griffin was one of the most terrifying but worthwhile things I've ever done. Holding him for that first time, watching Ianto sing him to sleep – it was incredible. But I got pregnant again."

"What happened?"

"I denied it the entire time then I shot myself, eight months in. I almost killed our little girl because I thought I'd already ruined Ianto's life enough with Griff."

"You weren't yourself. But I don't think you knew who that was to begin with. It's clearer for you now, isn't it?" The Doctor watched him, almost analytically, but with enough compassion to be caring. Jack looked at him hard, letting his mind fall into place as the other spoke. "You can see who you want to be and you can be it. You can be that partner and that father and one day, you'll be that proud grandfather, holding your grandchild for the first time. You'll be able to watch them grow and be there. It's a wonderful feeling."

"But I'll outlive all of them."

"I outlived mine, didn't I? Before the time war, I was a husband and a father and a grandfather. I know what it's like to have a family, Jack, and I know that nothing made me happier." He smiled warmly and Jack managed to smile in return, feeling something click into place, almost imperceptibly, in the back of his mind.

"Even after all this time, how can you read me like that?" He took a deep breath and shook his head lightly, watching the doctor with a smile.

"For all your years, you really haven't changed. Trust me. The man who went out to face a legion of daleks? He's still in there, he just threatened to turn my own ship against me."

"She'd do it as well, if she met them."

"Oh, I know. She picked up the signal first, knew you were here and pulled me away from a meteor shower near the most beautiful cascade." Jack watched his eyes glaze a little and that contented half smile he knew _so_ well as he stared off towards the ceiling for a moment. "They'd love it, Griffin and Niamh."


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

"Not today, Doctor." Jack smiled and shook his head, not needing the him to have said anything more.

"Why not?" The Time Lord asked earnestly, watching Jack carefully.

"I know how hard it is to go back to this life after travelling the stars and seeing the things you watch instead of TV. I know how bitter it made me, being stuck on this boring little planet." Jack sighed heavily and pushed away threatening thoughts of the early nineteen hundreds – they hadn't been a good time for him. "This is my world now and I love it. This is Ianto's world and it's the world our children belong in. Let the stories stay that way. Sometimes, things are best left on their pedestals."

There was a contemplative silence between them as the Doctor studied Jack for a moment, the Captain sitting still, comfortable and secure in his reply.

"You're right." The Doctor said finally, smiling again for a long, intense moment before snapping out of it, pulling his sonic screwdriver out and zapping the device in front of them. The red flashing lights went out and Jack felt lighter suddenly, like a pressure around his mind had lifted. The difference was almost unnoticeable, but it was definitely there. "I'm thinking, as I'm here, that I could fuel up again?"

"That would give you some time to make amends with a certain someone."

"Precisely."

"Do you want to bring the TARDIS down here? We can hook her up to the Rift manipulator to feed pre-converted energy in." Jack gestured to the column in the Hub through the window next to him.

"Sounds like a very good plan. It'll give me some time to get to grips with this old place and explore your archives." The Doctor nodded and drained his mug of tea.

"I doubt it." Jack grinned at him and pushed himself up from his chair.

"Why?" The Time Lord looked for all the world like a little kid who was just told he couldn't go to the park.

"Because Ianto doesn't let anyone go in there without him and I'm not going to let him babysit you." Jack stated matter-of-factly, raising his eyebrows suggestively and heading for the door.

"But what if I asked him nicely?" The Doctor followed him and Jack knew he was going to be very insistent.

"It wouldn't make any difference!" Jack laughed at the look of petulance on his old friend's face and gestured for him to follow.

Chatting amicably about various things the Doctor had seen recently, they made their way through the Hub, towards the boardroom. The Doctor couldn't help but have the tiniest part of his mind on the alert for some sort of attempt to capture him, even though it never came. It wasn't a sleight on Jack, just a now deeply engrained aversion of the institute. He was determined to let Jack change his mind about it though.

They came to the boardroom and Jack knocked on the doorframe as they walked through, Ianto looking up from the work he was doing. There was a quick scramble next to him and Griffin pointedly avoided Jack's eyes, his hands pressed firmly over the paper in front of him.

"What you got there, kid?" Jack asked with a knowing grin, making his way around the table. The Doctor stood back by the door and watched the family silently. Griffin didn't look up at Jack, just shook his head stubbornly. "Well, it looks like you were using blue, brown, yellow-"

"Stop it!" He said sharply, glaring up at Jack in a way that was incredibly similar to Ianto. "Stop being nosey."

"Griff, don't talk to you dad like that." Ianto muttered, carrying on with the paperwork he was filling out. Niamh was sitting happily on his lap, dangling her legs gently. Jack looked over to her and she grinned evilly at him. He frowned slightly, but she remained silent.

"Why do I get the feeling there's a conspiracy going on here?" Jack asked, Ianto looking up with a grin.

"I have no idea what you mean." He winked and stood up, passing Niamh over to his partner and heading to the service hatch by the door. He collected a tray of drinks and turned to the Doctor. "Please, take a seat. I think you'll want a better view."

The Doctor frowned slightly, but followed Ianto and took the seat offered. Ianto passed out the mugs, but he was already focussed on Jack and the two children.

"Come on, what're you drawing?" Jack asked Griffin, using his best encouraging voice.

"Come on, what're you drawing?" He mimicked with almost perfect intonation, his eyes meeting Jack's with a sly grin.

"Niamh, do you know?" He broke the staring contest and glanced at the little girl, sitting on his lap and facing him, much the same expression on her face as was on Griffin's.

"Niamh, do you know?" She said in a more sing-song impersonation.

"So you're going to play it like that, huh?" He asked, eyebrows raising sceptically at the two children. They glanced at each other for a moment and turned back to him.

"So you're going to play it like that, huh?" They spoke in almost perfect time. The Doctor snorted in laughter, but quickly stifled it by taking a sip of tea. Next to him, Ianto was hiding a grin in his paperwork once more.

Jack shot a glare over at the two men and turned his attention back to Griffin.

"I'm going to go to bed at seven every night." Jack shot Griffin a cool look of challenge.

"I'm going to go to bed at seven every night." Griffin turned back to the table and began collecting together his things, repeating Jack's words in the same, dead on manner.

"I'm not going to read Harry Potter for a month." Jack tried again, hoping to use the age old – yet extremely childish – trick on his son.

"I'm not going to read Harry Potter for a month." He looked back with a slight frown, but repeated all the same.

"Myfanwy's annoying" Jack said coolly.

"Myfanwy's annoying." Griffin glared at him, but copied all the same.

"Oi, she's not." Ianto gave his comment in, his lips pressed together in disapproval as Jack met his eyes.

"Who's Myfanwy?" The Doctor asked brightly, diverting attention away from Griffin, who'd gotten up and was sneaking away from the table.

"Our pterodactyl, long story." Jack flicked his gaze to him and shrugged.

"And she's a pteranodon." Ianto corrected petulantly. The Doctor smiled at the identical reactions of Ianto and his son at the insult to the dinosaur.

"Okay, whatever." Jack rolled his eyes and chanced a look at Niamh.

"Okay, whatever." Her sing-sing voice belied the innocence in her smile.

"What did I ever do to deserve _this_?" Jack sighed, not intending for the words to be directed at his daughter.

"What did I ever do to deserve this?" She emphasised and altered the way she spoke, making it sound comical. Jack glared at her and she glared back, hands on hips as she pouted. She was a lot more passionate and less logical than Griffin and he knew exactly what to say to her.

"Fine then." Jack said coolly, looking her dead in the eye.

"Fine then."

"I think the Doctor's the best person in the universe." Jack said casually, managing to remember it was his daughter and not one of his team who he was goading. Niamh glared at him with the intensity of a similar to the Time Lord's before shrinking away from him.

"But he'll take you away!" She promptly burst into tears, burying her face in her hands


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

All three of them grimaced, but the Time Lord put a hand on Ianto's arm as he moved to stand up, indicating for him to sit down.

With a look of concern, he watched as the Doctor moved around the table and scooped the little girl up into his arms. Without looking back at her parents, he carried her from the room and moved out into the tunnels outside, moving a little way from where he could be heard.

She resisted at first, but when the Doctor passively refused to let her go, she settled back against him, her tears slowing to saddened hiccups. He swayed gently and she eventually stopped, sighing heavily.

"Please don't take him away." She whispered, fidgeting with the toggles hanging on the front of her jumper. The Doctor pondered over what to say for a moment.

"Do you know what happened last time your dad was travelling with me?" He asked conversationally, feeling her shake her head against his shoulder. "I asked him to come travelling with me again," she tensed at that and he plunged on, "but he told me he wanted to come back here – to your tad and the others."

"Really?" She leaned away and looked up at him, her eyes wide and imploring.

"Really." He said strongly, his voice filled with confidence.

"He's always happy in tad's stories."

"Well, that's because he liked what he was doing and they want to share it with you." The Doctor smiled at her as she looked a little dubious. "When people grow up – even your dad – they want different things from their lives, but it doesn't mean they didn't enjoy what they did before."

Niamh watched him dubiously for a moment before nodding and wrapping her arms round his neck, placing a clumsy kiss on his cheek. He smiled and headed back towards the boardroom.

"I'm going to go get the TARDIS and I wondered if Griffin and Niamh would like to help." He said brightly, looking over at Jack and Ianto, who sat next to each other across the room from the door.

Ianto frowned slightly and shot Jack a sideways look. The looked equally uneasy, but eventually squeezed his partner's hand and nodded.

"Sure. Griff will be up with Tosh. Need me to show you the way?" Jack asked tightly. The Doctor beamed.

"Nope, I've got my bearings now! Just make sure there's a place for me to land, okay?" And with that, he bounded out of the room, chattering good-naturedly with the little girl in his arms.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he just wants to get to know them." Ianto said gently, watching Jack's look of concern.

"No, Ianto… He asked whether they'd want to go on a trip earlier." Jack grimaced at the thought and chastised himself for entertaining the brief thought of the Doctor stealing his children for a trip. Ianto had frozen beside him.

"He wouldn't do that…" Ianto said quietly, looking down at his hands. Jack felt a stab of sympathy.

"No, he wouldn't. I told him I didn't want them seeing anything out there." Jack sighed and Ianto fixed him with an odd look. Jack rolled his eyes and leaned forwards, placing a hand on the back of Ianto's neck and pulling him into a long, heart felt kiss. "That's not where they belong; they don't need to see it."

"You really are something else, Jack." Ianto stood up with a sigh and headed from the room. Jack followed him a moment or two later.

*

The Doctor couldn't help but smile at the little boy as he tried to quell the enormous excitement he felt at seeing the TARDIS for the first time.

He'd explained calmly what he was doing to the other adults in the team, Ianto and Jack supporting his plan as they appeared a minute or so after he'd entered. As soon as Griffin had seen their approval, he'd shot from his seat to wait patiently by the huge cog door.

As they'd taken the lift to the Tourist Office, he'd asked the occasional question, but the Time Lord could tell that there was a whole wealth of them being suppressed.

Part of him couldn't help but feel intensely relieved that he couldn't feel the vortex in either of the children, but he still had to fight the itch to run a couple of scans on them. _Jack would never forgive you if you did that,_ he thought to himself a little harshly_, you'd overstep the mark one too many times with him._

He grimaced to himself and slotted the key into the wooden box, pushing the door open and letting Griffin make his own way in. The little boy took a couple of steps before stopping and letting his mouth drop open.

"It's just how dad said it was!" He exclaimed, running forwards to get a closer look at the console, studiously keeping his hands to himself as he marvelled up at the turquoise column, glowing in interest.

Niamh's eyes had widened, but she said nothing, simply keeping her hold on the Doctor's neck as he headed over to her brother. He put her down on one of the seats and turned to the controls, opening up a video call with the Hub.

"You there, Captain?" He called as he glanced around at his controls. When he looked up, Jack was on screen, doing much the same as the Doctor, tapping away at a keyboard.

"We're just flattening out the space for you, give us a minute or two." He said absently, glancing over his shoulder. His face suddenly split into a grin and he disappeared for a moment, reappearing with a mug of coffee. "Okay, I'm sending you the co-ordinates you'll need."

The Doctor nodded and waited for the TARDIS to accept and translate the information to coincide with her computer systems. After a moment, she thrummed and the Doctor smiled.

"Received, Captain." Jack smirked as he glanced over before typing more commands into the computer next to him. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

Jack shot him a salute and closed down the program, the Doctor grinning and closing his own end of the communications. He turned back to the seat and felt an unusual thrill of fear when he couldn't see Niamh. A second later, he realised she was on the other side of the console, standing and simply gazing up at the pulsing, churning lights above her.

He didn't approach her, just carried on with what he was doing. He smiled at the ship's hum of approval.

"Hello." The little girl spoke quietly to the column in front of her and the lights pulsed in response. She grinned and moved over to where the Doctor and Griffin were examining the controls.

"Griff, I want you to hold on here really tightly," the Time Lord gestured to the edge of the console, "you too, Niamh," she slid in between him and the console and held on, "and then I want you flick that switch. See the one by your hand?"

Griffin held tightly with one hand and pointed to the large blue button with his other. The Doctor nodded with a smile and he pressed it firmly with his palm. There was a whir and a judder and they were in flight.

Griffin whooped and Niamh gasped before they both dissolved into happy laughter. The Doctor couldn't help but grin, knowing that the TARDIS was as pleased to hear children in the TARDIS as he was himself – it reminded him of home, the pure bliss of raising a family.

He quickly settled the small wave of grief and returned his attention to the task at hand – they'd landed and he wanted to get her connected and absorbing as fast as possible. He delved into a floor panel next to the three of them and pulled out a power cable, gesturing to the other two to head out first.

The looked at each other before racing across to the door and opening it tentatively. Standing a few feet away was Jack, arms folded and leaning casually against the base of the water tower, eyebrows raised in question.


	15. Chapter 15

I'm going to be posting three days in a row before I go away for a couple of weeks - I promise to be punctual when I get back though!

* * *

CHAPTER 15

There was a beat of silence before Griffin's face switched from awed shock to a huge, Harkness grin. He exploded out of the door of the TARDIS.

"Dad, it's so cool! It's just like you said!" He bounced towards Jack and the older man chuckled, watching as he displayed uncharacteristic excitement. It was very rarely that showed this level of emotion – for he was far too like Ianto. "It was so awesome! I got to press the button and everything!"

He grinned and watched as the boy raced off to tell Tosh all about his discovery, passing Ianto on the stairs and throwing him a dazzling grin as he passed. Ianto cocked an eyebrow as he headed over to Jack and the captain shrugged with a smile.

He glanced towards the TARDIS and found Niamh still standing in the doorway, looking intensely confused.

"Sweetheart, what's the matter?" Jack asked gently, crouching down next to her. She looked at him with a frown and a pout, then back inside the ship. She shook her head and moved inside a few more steps and repeated the action. Slowly, she backed right out of the ship and into Jack's arms, eyes still locked on the pulsing column in the middle of vast chamber.

"Daddy, I think it's bigger on the inside." She whispered in awe. She looked around at him, eyes wide before stumbling off to Ianto, who was slowly approaching them, a look of apprehension on his face.

"Ah, Mr. Jones. Would you care to come inside and help me hook up to your Rift Manipulator?" The Doctor stood in the doorway with a perfectly sincere expression. Ianto halted and looked from his daughter to the Time Lord to Jack and back again.

He smiled politely and took Niamh's hand, motioning for Jack to take her as he passed into the blue box with the Doctor. Ianto couldn't help but tense slightly. Not only was this the place he'd been warned of for the first year of his Torchwood life, but it was also the place he imagined in those moments when he wondered why Jack was with him.

Their little house and mediocre bedroom couldn't compare to the magnificent space he now found himself standing in. Could it?

"You can come closer, you know… She doesn't bite!" The Doctor smiled easily at the console in front of him and Ianto walked a little closer to him. He thought that the low humming changed pitch as he approached and he thought he saw the Time Lord grin in reply.

"So, uhh… what would you like help with?" Ianto asked, feeling more than a little awkward. It would've felt a little better if he'd been dressed to the nines, but his jacket was in Jack's office and his sleeves were rolled up. At least his waistcoat was still done up.

"Well, there's going to be a couple of compatibility issues, so I'll need you to help monitor energy levels for the first few minutes and to just, you know… talk…" Ianto looked highly dubious and the Doctor rubbed the back of his head. "It's just… you mean a lot to Jack and he's been with you longer than anyone before. I want to get to know you a bit."

"You've pretty much just summed me up." Ianto said wryly as he studied the console in front of him, the strange writing morphing into English as he concentrated on it. The Doctor moved to the open floor grill next to him and began attaching wires together, pulling out a second power cable and running it to the door, gesturing for Ianto to follow.

They worked in silence for a bit, plugging in and hooking up wires and cables, pulling another one back into the TARDIS with them. The Doctor set about connecting it and Ianto initialised the transfer.

"I take it you don't like me much, Ianto." The Doctor said gently, sitting back on the console next to the other man. Ianto looked up in a shot and grimaced, shaking his head.

"Sorry, I don't mean to come across like that… It's just, you know how you were apprehensive about just walking into the Hub?" The Doctor nodded wisely and made a noise of agreement. "I've spent a long time wondering what you were like, what your ship was like… It's still a little odd, that's all."

"Ah, I'm sorry." The Doctor smiled apologetically and Ianto returned it with a nod. "Your kids are great, by the way."

"Yeah, they really are." Ianto grinned despite himself and the Doctor smiled with a fatherly affection for the young man. He'd considered Jack as a part of his oddly extended family for a while now, which meant that Ianto and their children were also included. The TARDIS thrummed her approval of the Welshman and the Doctor stopped himself from laughing. "I have a question, if you don't mind."

"Go for it."

"What do you do with all your time?" Ianto turned and looked at him, the Time Lord a little taken aback. "I mean, you're what? Nine hundred odd years old? Surely you've seen all there is to see."

"Oh, Mr. Jones, you're so wrong." The Doctor suddenly grinned. "I don't think I will ever be able to see everything there is out there. Besides, worlds keep turning, races keep evolving, developing - discovering!"

Ianto snorted gently, a noise of self-deprecation as he nodded and turned back to his console, muttering, "That's what I thought."

"You wonder why Jack stays, don't you?" He asked casually, sitting down on one of the chairs and reclining in it. Ianto didn't reply and he took it for an affirmative. "Earth is unique among everywhere else. Ever wondered why I'm here so often? Why I dress like I'm from here, why almost every one of my companions is a human being? It's because this place is amazing."

"It's not that good." Ianto muttered petulantly, blushing a little from the intense look of pride the Doctor had adopted.

"Oh, but it is! Can't you see? Your whole race is amazing." The Doctor paused, a smile creeping into his eyes. "_You're_ amazing, Ianto. No, don't even attempt to deny it. Here you are, middle of the twenty first century and you've given more than a decade of your life to keep the world safe from things it can't ever know about."

"I never knew anything different." He said gruffly. Jack, on the other hand, did.

"Well then look at your life properly. You fell in love with a man who can never die. He'll outlive you, your children, your friends… even this planet, but you love him anyway." Ianto turned and looked at the Time Lord. "You don't judge him like others would, you accept him and love him for it. You've made him a better person, believe me. He's shared so much of himself with you that he's begun to grow into himself. It took more than a century, but he's really learning."

"He's changed, yeah, natural progression and everything." Ianto stood up and sighed. "You can't say I'm the cause of it all, that's not fair on everyone else who knew and loved him."

"He hadn't let any lover get anywhere near as close to him as you have." The Doctor said frankly, daring Ianto to object. Deep down, the Welshman knew what the Time Lord was saying was the truth. Jack had even said so himself.

"I just came along at the right time, that's all." Ianto forced a smile and left the ship, leaving the Doctor to his thoughts and scans. The TARDIS hummed in the Doctor's mind, nudging his thoughts and feelings.

He batted her away and thought some more.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

"Hey, kid, got some more sleep?" Ianto sat comfortably in the small room behind the Tourist Office, his mobile to his ear.

_  
"Not really, Bridget Jones two is almost finished."_ Bryn muttered back, stifling a yawn. _"Besides, are those kids okay? Jack didn't screw up too badly, right?"_

"Everything's fine. An old friend of his turned up, that's all." Ianto sighed and Bryn made a noise of disgust.

_"An old friend of Jack's is the reason I lost my day's free coffees and food?"_

"Oi! I'm useful for more than that!"

_  
"Sorry, I forgot about the cleaning." _Her voice was completely deadpanned, then she snorted in amusement, carrying on before Ianto could raise an objection. _"Seriously though, I lost a day with you 'cos of an old friend?"_

She didn't sound impressed at all and Ianto couldn't blame her. He wasn't particularly impressed either. He didn't say anything though, but the silence stretched for far too long.

_  
"Yan, are you okay?"_ Bryn asked in concern, her voice quiet. Ianto sighed heavily and buried his face in his hand.

"Yeah, it's just been a tough day." He finally admitted the strain that was wearing through him. He was about to say something else of a more mundane variety when his comm. bleeped on the desk. "Hang on a sec."

He pushed the device into his ear and opened the line, holding his mobile down. "Yep?"

_  
"Ianto, I was wondering whether you'd show the Doctor around some of the archives."_ Jack's voice was relaxed and bright on the other end of the line, but Ianto could only sigh in resignation – something the captain picked up on. _"Everything okay up there? You've been gone for a while now."_

"Everything's fine." he replied politely, _everything's always fine, isn't it?_ he thought bitterly. He wasn't really sure where this childish attitude had come from and he didn't particularly care for it either.

_  
"You don't have to come down if you don't want… I can show the Doctor around, or Tosh can."_ Jack sounded a little more worried and Ianto sighed again.

"No, Jack. It's fine. I'll be down in a minute. I just need to finish a phone call off." He said wearily, not waiting for Jack's reply before tossing the comm. device back on the desk and returning his attention to his mobile.

"Sorry, Bryn. Work's calling me away again." He grimaced at the slight growl of disapproval form his sister. "I'll call you later, try and get some sleep."

_  
"Don't let Jack walk over you too much, Yan. I don't like it when people do that. Speak to you later."_ They hung up together and Ianto sat for a moment, not quite wanting to go downstairs once more.

"You know, there's another reason I called you downstairs." The voice came calmly from the doorway and Ianto turned, swallowing his surprise, to see Jack leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh yeah? Is it time for coffee already?" Ianto forced a grin and got to his feet, collecting his earpiece and aiming to move past Jack. He found a rather toned, blue clad torso in his way, blocking his path. He sighed before he could catch himself. "Jack, everyone's downstairs."

"So? They can wait a little longer." He spoke sincerely, tilting the young man's head up to face him. "What's going on with you? Is it really so bad that you don't want to talk to me about it?"

He sounded jovial but Ianto could see the hurt in his eyes. They'd promised no more lies – well, as few lies as was possible – since the moment they'd found out about Griffin. Now though, Ianto didn't know whether lying or telling the truth would hurt Jack more.

With a half sigh, half growl of frustration, he caught Jack's neck with one hand and pulled him into a hard, needy kiss. It was full of the same lust and frustration and apology that there had been from Jack earlier and was more than enough for him to realise why his partner had hidden himself away for a while. It still didn't explain it completely though.

He wrapped his arms around the young man and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss and letting it evolve into something altogether more affectionate and loving. With a sigh, Ianto broke away to take a deep breath, resting his head against Jack's shoulder as the older man ran a hand absently across his back.

"Why does he have to remind me that you're immortal?" Ianto muttered finally. Jack's heart tightened and he sighed.

"Is that what this is all about?" He murmured, Ianto nodding miserably, burying his face in Jack's neck for a remnant of comfort.

"We've been able to pretend for so long – even when you die, it doesn't matter because it's so bloody domestic when we get home. But he makes it impossible to ignore." Ianto's voice was dull, lifeless. Jack had to agree with it though. It had been too easy to pretend he was like everyone else.

"It's hard, but you can't blame him for that. He's really trying here." Jack pulled away a little and tipped Ianto's head up again, looking him straight in the eye. "Go spend some time with him, show him the ropes in the archives – its your department and you know it better than anyone. He's a willing observer and I promise he won't interfere."

"If he does, I'll blame you for it and make you face the consequences." Ianto said coolly, voice deadpanned, though his eyes had regained their humour and cynicism. Jack smiled and captured his lips in a final, indulgent kiss before pulling away.


	17. Chapter 17

Okay guys, I'm back from holiday now! I'll be posting one chapter a day until this in finished, with the exception of missing Friday due to a trip I'm taking to a show in London. You may also be glad to know that there's several short/oneshots in the 'verse coming up soon and there's a couple of longer ones that are being planned and written as we speak!

Thankyou all so much for you patience with me :D Enjoy!

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CHAPTER 17

Ianto let Jack lead him back downstairs, pulling another heated kiss form his lover before they entered the Hub. It was only the very faint flush to Ianto's skin that would've alerted the team to their activities in the elevator – but even then, only Tosh was attentive enough to notice.

She smiled wryly as Jack headed past her with a wink, collecting Niamh from where she sat at Gwen's desk. He placed a kiss to the little girl's head as she cuddled into him, turning back to Tosh.

"Any alerts?" He indicated the Rift predictor programme and she tapped her way through a series of commands.

"Nope, it seems clear for the next few hours – though there's just been a report of a rogue weevil near the storm drain in the park." She glanced at him and he nodded in acceptance, handing the little girl over to her with an apology.

"Just the one?" He asked, already heading to his office to get his coat, gun and weevil spray.

"Yup. Need me to call Owen in to help?" She called, looking back over her shoulder as he appeared from the office.

"Nah, he needs to stick with Gwen to sort out that case file." He shrugged his coat on and checked his gun safety and clip. The other two members of the team had been called away a little under twenty minutes earlier to deal with a series of witnesses claiming a man with three eyes, fangs and an otherwise surprisingly human exterior had sold them tickets to the next football match. "Doctor, stick with Ianto. He's going to show you some of the stuff downstairs."

He spoke to the Time Lord, once again sitting quietly on the sofa, and gestured to Ianto, who was heading towards the group.

"You're going for a weevil on your own?" Ianto asked dryly, an eyebrow raised in disbelief and smartly covering his concern.

"I'll be back before you know it. Janet's been wanting a new friend for a while." He flashed his trademark grin and let his fingers brush the back of the younger man's hand as he passed in a small sign of comfort.

With a hidden grimace, Ianto watched the end of Jack's coat disappear around the corner. Taking a moment to collect himself, he turned to Tosh.

"I'll be on the comms if someone needs me. Will you three be okay up here for a while?" He asked with a weary smile. Tosh noticed the strain in his eyes and patted his arm gently.

"We'll be fine – we always are!" She grinned at him and shooed him away.

"Okay, Doctor. Where would you like to start first?" Ianto turned to look at the Time Lord, who was watching him pensively.

"I honestly don't know." His face broke into a grin and he got to his feet. "How about vessels? Jack lead me to understand you have quite a fleet stored away."

"Of course, sir." Ianto smiled and gestured for him to follow. First stop was the armoury, much to the Doctor's concern.

"Surely you don't need anything to go down there." He glanced at the door to the archives and Ianto smiled ruefully.

"You'd think. But I've enough experience to know that being caught without a gun can lead to near death situations. Even if it's just because you didn't have a chance to get one before being called out on a run." Ianto spoke animatedly, but the Doctor caught the flicker of pain in his face before he looked away to the racks of weapons.

"Does that happen a lot?" He leaned back against the door, watching Ianto intently.

"More often than it should. Luckily, Jack has remarkably good timing when it comes to saving the day at the very last minute. He's almost always on time."

"And when he's not?"

"Then he dies." Ianto looked him dead in the eye and the Doctor maintained the look for a long, piercing moment before nodding his understanding. Ianto turned his attention back to finding his handgun and pulling it free. "It's always him, never us. Injuries sure, near fatal wounds, of course, but never actually dying."

"Why were you so worried about that weevil?" He asked curiously, Ianto sighing heavily and tucking his gun into the back of his trousers, safety on. He stood up and looked at him again, loosening his collar and pulling the material away to show the still vivid scars that would trail down to his hip.


	18. Chapter 18

ACH! Sorry - I'm really bad at getting back into the hang of regular postings... :(

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CHAPTER 18

"That wasn't even a particularly big one. Another inch to the right and a bit more pressure and my jugular would've been split wide open – something which _has_ happened before." The Doctor peered at them and pulled a face, Ianto smiling grimly in agreement before letting the material fall back into place. "Happy Christmas, Jack."

"Ouch. Torchwood and Christmas really don't mix, do they?"

"Nope. My first year, while I was at One, I spent it on a rooftop, trying to convince my girlfriend to step back off the edge." The Doctor grimaced at the memory, flexing his hand unconsciously. "The year after that, I was recovering from Canary Wharf still."

"What about here?"

"My first Christmas here, we had visitors through the Rift, we couldn't send them home. My car got stolen by one of them on Christmas eve and he killed himself in it – locked in a garage with the engine running. I spent Christmas thinking I could stop Jack from committing suicide. I didn't know he couldn't die then – I didn't realise he actually had. I couldn't understand why he turned up smelling like car fumes so badly." Ianto frowned slightly, completely baffled as to why he was talking to the Doctor so candidly. "Griffin was a month old by the next one."

"A lot of things changed for you in a year then." The Doctor said with a smile, following Ianto through to the cool stone corridors that lead to the archives.

"Yup. The team almost being ripped apart, discovering Jack was immortal only to find out that he was dead – it took a week before he… woke up." He stumbled a bit at that, but continued without missing a beat. "Him disappearing off the face of the earth for seven weeks, coming back only to decide life was too short and finding out he was pregnant six weeks later. One hell of a ride there."

"Did he tell you about the trip with me?" Ianto nodded. "All of it?" Ianto nodded again. "Wow."

"What do you mean?"

"A lot of that stuff that happened, well, I didn't think he'd tell you – anyone, in fact."

"I died, but so did the majority of the earth's population. Though, from what I understand, as I was killed on the planet surface, not aboard the Valiant, I'm still standing here today." Ianto shrugged and the Doctor laughed gently.

"Oh, you're very good, Mr. Jones. I like you." He grinned and Ianto snorted in amusement, gesturing for him to follow him down another passage. The ice seemed to have finally broken between them and they chattered away about Jack and stories he'd told, Ianto filling the Doctor in on just how much Jack had bent the truth in some stories about their small family.

By the time they reached the huge warehouse like room at the very bottom of the archives, Ianto was infinitely more relaxed in the company of the Time Lord.

They explored the warehouse for almost an hour, the Doctor exclaiming at the condition most of them were in. It seemed that Jack had spent his spare time – back before he'd been put in charge – fixing them up into working order, much like Ianto's father had done with cars for a spell of his teenage years.

They'd just stopped at a rather large, spearhead shaped ship, the Doctor laughing loudly. He ran on board, his laughter and disbelief still very clear and the engine whirred into life. Ianto backed away slightly and watched as the ship began to hover upwards ever so slightly.

There was a hum and a whoosh and suddenly, the ship wasn't there, as if turned to water and invisible in a couple of moments.

"Chula warship." Came a voice in his ear. Ianto didn't jump – didn't need to. He was so used to Jack sneaking up on him and he'd heard the sound of footsteps a few minutes earlier. Arms snaked around his waist and pulled him closer. "The Dodge Vipers of the alien race."

"Loud and ugly, then?" Ianto remarked placidly, Jack biting his neck lightly in reprimand.

"Quite the opposite. That thing's gorgeous. I was on Rift duty a few decades ago and went to collect this baby before I alerted the team. It would've broken my heart to see it torn to pieces and catalogued." Jack sighed and rested his chin on Ianto's shoulder, staring up at the faint ripples in the air.

The noise came again and the engines died down as it landed neatly back on the floor. The Doctor emerged with a grin on his face.

"That's a beauty, Jack – much better than your first one." He raised an eyebrow at the last part and Jack shrugged.

"I needed a ship and it did the job."

"You permanently borrowed it without permission then let it get blown up."

"Hey! If I hadn't done that, we would've all died!" Jack and the Doctor fixed each other with stern looks, but the Doctor cracked first, grinning.

"Quite right too." He strode back the way they'd come and Jack glanced at Ianto with raised eyebrows for a moment before dragging him off after the wandering Time Lord.

Jack kept his arm looped around Ianto's waist as they followed the Doctor at a reasonable distance.

"Has he been behaving himself?" Jack asked in a low voice, sounding surprisingly serious. Ianto stopped walking and looked at Jack with a mixture of amusement and bafflement. After a moment, he just started laughing, unable to stop himself.

"Jack, he's been fine, but how the hell do you two do that?" Ianto's laughs slowed to a couple of chuckles as Jack watched him in confusion.

"Do what?" Jack frowned and looked from Ianto to the Doctor, who'd stopped just down the corridor, and back again, all the while in an incredibly endearing look on his face.

"The constant shift of roles between you! One minute, you're like a little kid being told off by dad, the next you're best friends, opposing each other and back round to you being the adult of the two. It's just, I dunno, it just made me laugh." Ianto smiled again and Jack caught him round the waist once more as they moved back towards the main area of the Hub.

"Good… you don't laugh like that enough anyway."

"Enough of the uncharacteristic sentiment, Jack." He said gently, nudging Jack forwards and through the door. Someone needed to watch out for the Doctor.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

Owen and Gwen returned from their run in reasonably good moods. It turned out that whilst it was a long process, it had still been vaguely interesting. They arrived with the alien – one Jartz of the Clead – and were having a rather animated conversation with him about the local nightlife.

It turned out that he'd found himself in Cardiff the night before, close to the thumping, thrumming nightclubs. He hadn't been able to resist the resonance in the air around them and had spent much of the following nights walking up and down one particular road.

At the sound of the slightly altered voice – for he was speaking through a translator – the Doctor poked his head around the door of Jack's office, where he'd been inspecting a series of items for him. It had been another couple of hours since they'd emerged from the garage and he'd found himself quite comfortable inside the base.

Jartz jumped, but grinned when he recognised the Doctor. "Doctor! I didn't think I'd ever see you again!"

The Time Lord had moved from the office, holding a hand out in greeting. Jartz shook it enthusiastically and bowed several times. The Doctor rolled his eyes and grimaced.

"Please, you don't need to do that."

"On the contrary, Doctor, you saved our lives and planet."

"He's prone to doing that if you're not careful." Ianto said dryly, emerging with a fresh tray of drinks for everyone. The newcomer turned and looked at him, the sarcasm obviously lost on him. Ianto sighed. If there was one thing that aliens didn't get, it was sarcasm.

"He's just joking – though I do tend to save a lot of planets… occupational hazard." He smiled and gratefully accepted the mug of tea from Ianto. "How did you get here, anyway?"

"My flight computer was corrupted and was tracking the wrong coordinates whilst I slept. Deep space travel makes me very tired." Jartz grimaced slightly, but the Doctor nodded his head in agreement. "I left my ship beneath the water and teleported out, though I was unsure where to go to."

"I can come have a look if you like, fix your computer if I can and send you back off again?" The Doctor watch a smile split across Jartz's face and, not for the first time, why such a benevolent people had developed with fangs and orange eyes.

"Doctor, is that a good idea?" Owen asked carefully, his voice low. The Time Lord just shot him a look. People seemed to forget that he'd been taking care of himself for longer than they'd been alive.

"We'll be fine, Mr. Harper. Now, I'll be back soon." He quickly finished his drink, regardless of the heat, and rubbed his hands together. He was very surprised to find Ianto holding out his coat for him. "Thank you, Mr. Jones. Jack, take care of the TARDIS for me, I'll be back in a bit."

"Hang on, don't we have to finish the case report?" Gwen frowned slightly, glancing between the Doctor and Jack, who'd appeared in the doorway.

"Nah, I think we can let this one go. I'll put in a footnote when I sign off." Jack shrugged, but Gwen still looked dubious. "Seriously, Gwen, don't sweat it. We'll stick it in the 'Remarkable Circumstances' drawer."

"You have a 'Remarkable Circumstances' drawer?" The Doctor asked, interested and more than a little amused.

"It's more like a room, but still, you get the point." Jack shrugged and the Doctor rolled his eyes, turning to Jartz and leading him from the base, already chattering gently in the other's native language. Gwen, Owen and Tosh watched the cog door roll closed and glanced at each other in confusion. Jack rolled his eyes. "Guys, back to work, he'll be fine. Owen, I think Niamh's been looking for you for a good half hour."

Jack grinned at the medics look of conflict and went back into his office, both surprised and pleased to find Ianto sitting in his chair, leaning back with his feet propped up on the desk. His fingers were steepled and he was watching Jack with a smirk. Without missing a beat, Jack walked smoothly round and lifted his legs to sit on the desk in front of him, resting Ianto's feet down next to him.

"Reporting for duty, sir." He shot Ianto a mock salute and Ianto quirked an eyebrow. The younger man heaved a sigh and dropped his chin to his chest, eyes closed, exhaling gently. Jack smiled. "What's up?"

"I want to go to sleep." He mumbled, not moving from his position. Jack smiled and ran a hand along his shin gently.

"It's only six thirty, you can't be _that_ tired." Jack teased.

"I was up all night and for some reason, my quality of sleep is dramatically decreased when I have Niamh in your place." Ianto complained, cracking an eye open and looking up at him.


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

Owen found himself, yet again, playing the child minder of the team. Of course, knowing that Niamh had not been on top form that day, he was a lot more accepting about carrying her around for the following two or three hours.

He'd even found the time to sit down in the play room with her and read through one of her favourite story books, relieved to find that it very quickly sent her into a nap. Typically though, he was being used as a mattress at the point of unconsciousness, and he knew better than to move her.

"Owen, pizza's here." Jack had appeared at the doorway, a suppressed grin shining menacingly in his eyes. Owen glared and awkwardly began to lever Niamh onto the sofa next to him. "How long has she been out of it?"

"Uh, half an hour?"

"You've been sitting here for half an hour?" Jack asked in alarm, his eyebrows shooting up. Owen shot him a look and he raised his hands in apology. "Okay, okay… well, she should probably get up now anyway."

"Yeah, she needs to get a full night of sleep tonight, to make up for today." Owen looked down at her and was silently glad that Jack would be the one to disturb the little girl. Between them, they eased her into the captain's arms, ignoring the initial, vague protests at the movement. She would be waking with a vengeance in a minute or two.

Together, they headed back through to the main Hub, finding the team and Griffin crowded around the coffee table, diving into the opened pizza boxes

"Any word on the Doctor?" Owen asked a little stiffly, as he leaned forwards and claimed some food for himself.

"No, but he'll be back any minute, I reckon. The TARDIS finished fuelling about ten minutes ago." Tosh replied casually, sitting back and taking a bite of the pizza in her hand. When she realised that everyone was looking at her, she swallowed.

"What?" She asked defensively. "Just because it's alien tech doesn't mean my systems don't run scans!"

As if on cue, the siren went off and the cog door rolled open, allowing the Doctor to breeze easily into the Hub and over to them all, smoothly taking a piece of pizza and standing back a bit. Jack raised his eyebrows again and watched him sceptically.

"Good day?"

"Yup! I found out all about the new parliament the Clead introduced to give a clear cut, diplomatic basis to rebuilding their planet." The Time Lord beamed at him and Jack shrugged, jostling Niamh slightly and aiding to the rapidly accelerating process of waking her up.

She looked up at Jack and glowered, flopping forwards against him with a scowl, tucking her arms tightly between her body and his. Apparently she was too tired to throw more of a tantrum than that. With a huffed sigh, she settled back and resolved to simply listen to what was going on around her.

"The TARDIS finished charging about ten minutes ago, so that was pretty good timing." Jack said with a smile. The Doctor looked up, shocked and more than a little offended.

"That's not why I came back now! I just took a stroll on the way back, honestly!" The Doctor looked at Jack and the captain just laughed until the expression on his friend's face melted down to vague chagrin. "Right, well, no sense in bothering you lot longer than I need to."

"Doctor, he didn't mean it like that." Ianto said from the sofa, holding a very worried looking Griffin back from racing over to them.

"I know, but I should probably get back on the road anyway. There's a star shower I want to catch on Tomas IX this evening." He smiled over at the Welshman and Ianto returned it with genuine appreciation. He nodded and allowed his attention to be drawn to Griffin, who was frantically signalling for his attention. The little boy muttered something and Ianto nodded, letting him race off into Jack's study.

"Give him a minute." Ianto said calmly as Jack looked over at him with a frown.

Sure enough, no more than a couple of minutes later, Griffin was walking calmly back into the main area, carrying several pieces of paper carefully. He walked over to the Doctor, who crouched down, and held them out.

"These are for you, because you had no pictures up in your space ship and Dad says having pictures up makes people feel at home." Griffin smiled tentatively as the Doctor took the pictures and examined them.

There were several sheets with scrawled, colourful pictures of the TARDIS – inside and out – and some people, which the Doctor assumed were those around him, but there was one sheet, shoved to the back of the others, that held a much different picture.

The Doctor pulled it to the front and examined it with a smile. Griffin had obviously spent a very long time working on the picture of the TARDIS, each star in the background drawn and coloured as precisely as possible. On one side of the blue box stood a figure in a long brown coat, wearing glasses and bright red shoes. On the other was a man in a long blue coat, grinning out at him.

Jack saw from overlooking that it was a much more detailed version of the one he'd found screwed up and he couldn't help the stab of nostalgia he felt once more. Niamh shuffled slightly in his arms and it was gone once more. He leaned his head down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"This picture is very good, Griff. Did you do it?" The Doctor looked up at him and the little boy smiled proudly.

"Yup!" He grinned and the Doctor chuckled, patting him on the shoulder.

"Well I'm very impressed and I think I'm going to put these all up in my room as soon as I've set off." He stood up again, glancing over to the TARDIS, Niamh's eyes following his. "And I would say that would be about… well, now."

"It's okay, Doctor, we're not going to hold you hostage." Ianto was standing back Jack's side, Griffin looking up at him with a grin. "Shall I help you unhook your ship from the Rift Manipulator?"

The Doctor turned round with his usual, mysterious smile, accepting Ianto's offer and leading the way over to his ship.


	21. Chapter 21

This is the final chapter guys! Thankyou so much for the comments and the patience with the slowness of my posting :S

I've got plenty of oneshots coming up to tide you over until i get the next installment for the series finished and polished for posting :) I hope you enjoy the last chapter!

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CHAPTER 21

Ianto flicked the final hook and released the last of the wires and tubes from where they'd been clamped into place. He sat back for a moment, collecting together all the separate ends of the attachments before realising the Doctor was watching him.

"Like what you see?" Ianto turned around and smirked at the other man over his shoulder.

"God, you've been around Jack too long." The Doctor chastised, with more than a hint of amusement. "No, I was just wondering whether I could ask you something."

"Go for it." Ianto nodded and pulled himself to his feet, all cables and tubes in hand. He turned to the Doctor expectantly, only to find the Time Lord looking a little nervous.

"Well, I was just wondering if I could come back and visit sometimes, you know, check up on you all." The Doctor shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets, regarding Ianto with a slight frown.

"I don't think you'd be able to get out of here without a promise to those three that you would anyway." Ianto smiled and looked down at his hands, absently organising the pieces in his hands into the right sections.

"And you?"

"I can't see any reason why I wouldn't want you to come back." Ianto shrugged as well and looked up, a sheepish smile on his face. "It would be like stopping the fun, adventurous uncle from coming along at Christmas."

"But… you know, I'm not…" The Doctor rubbed his head awkwardly, unsure about what to say,

"You are. I've got a pretty close family; two parents, two sisters - and Jack has none. He has the team and he has you. You help him keep his feet on the ground and I could never resent you visiting if it made him happy." Ianto deliberately met the Doctor's eyes and nodded his head slightly, stepping past him and out of the TARDIS.

Ianto moved to the Rift Manipulator and unclamped the series of wires that lead from the TARDIS's console, handing it to the Doctor as he appeared at the door behind him. The Time Lord ducked back inside to settle the plug back where it belonged and moved to the entrance once more.

Niamh had woken up enough to run round with Griffin, both a little saddened to see him go, but eager to see the TARDIS fly once more. Jack was standing on the steps halfway towards them, whispering something to Ianto with a sly smile on his lips.

He pulled back slightly from where he was leaned in and the two men met eyes in a knowing glance, Jack continuing on with a grin and looking up to meet the Doctor's expression of pride.

"What?" Jack frowned slightly, the smile still stuck in place as the Time Lord grinned and bent down once more, Niamh marching forwards and throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. She hummed happily against his neck and he laughed, folding his arms around her in a brief hug before moving away a little and beckoning Griffin over.

He stayed crouched, a hand on each of the children's arms, looking at the carefully, seriously. They looked back with equal seriousness, waiting intently for him to speak.

"Here's the deal. I've got to go now, but I'm expecting you two to take good care of your dad and tad." He spoke in a low voice and the two kids nodded furiously at his words. "I'm going to come and visit again and I expect to hear full run downs of what's been happening. I'm trusting you two to keep me filled in on all the fun stuff that the adults miss, okay?"

"Yes, sir." Griffin replied smartly, standing up a little straighter and trying to suppress the Harkness inherited grin that was pulling at him. Niamh didn't even attempt to stop it and beamed at him, continuing to nod enthusiastically.

The Doctor smiled, clapped them on the shoulders and stood up, finding the whole team gathered around where Jack stood. The captain smirked and fired off a salute, making him cringe good-naturedly at the warm, hearty laugh that followed, accompanied by the chuckles and smiles from the team.

Jack really had found his family now.

"I'll see you soon, Captain." He smiled and met first Jack's, then Ianto's eyes before signalling his own mock salute and disappearing into the TARDIS. In only a matter of moments, the light was flashing at the jarred grating sound permeated the air.

Niamh flew at Ianto and clung to his legs, watching the TARDIS vanish with a miserable expression. Griffin stayed where he was, but his shoulders slumped and Jack heard him sigh heavily. The Captain met his partner's eyes and as one, they reached to sort their children out.

Ianto bent down and scooped Niamh into his arms, the little girl quickly settling with an arm around his neck and her thumb in her mouth, humming gently again. Jack moved towards the little boy and crouched down next to him, watching the same spot, hands clasped.

"What's wrong, kid?" Jack asked gently after another few moments of silence. Griffin shrugged and broke his stare at the now empty patch of ground. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stared moodily at the ground.

"It just that things are going to be really boring again now." Griffin heaved another, slightly theatrical, sigh – one that was far too weary for his seven years – and shuffled off to where Tosh stood with a hand out for him to take.

Jack stood up and could think of nothing better than to blink in confusion and roll his eyes as Ianto cocked an eyebrow at him. Never before had he heard Torchwood described as 'really boring'.

"I think it's time to call it a night." Ianto said gently, indicating the little girl who was fiercely struggling to stay awake. Jack nodded and moved toward him, leaning in to kiss Niamh on the forehead and then to pull Ianto into another, promising kiss.

Ianto smiled and broke away, heading round to nudge Griffin away from the computer. With a belated and slightly sleepy grin, Jack moved round to help gather everything together. He'd have to stay back a little longer to finish up the case reports with Owen and Gwen, but it wouldn't take too long.

Hopefully, there'd be time and energy enough to make good of the promise that lingered from their brief encounter in the archives that afternoon.

* * *

**Fin x. **


End file.
